Message from the Department Head
Dr. James Tangorra
Welcome to the Department of Engineering Leadership and Society. We aim to educate a new generation of engineers and leaders who are focused on addressing the complex challenges of the 21st century. Our programs are designed to create engineers who have technical proficiency and who understand societal well-being and industry development as interacting parts of a whole system. We want our students to help lead the organizations they join, in addition to serving as highly capable engineers and managers.
The department was formed in 2020 by merging five leading programs — Construction Management, Engineering Technology, Engineering Management, Peace Engineering and Systems Engineering. Each of these programs is rooted in teaching the application of engineering and management, rather than theory alone, and works closely with industry, government and non-governmental organizations to ensure that our students develop the technical and leadership skills necessary to contribute positively to society. By merging, we are better able give students in-depth training in a targeted field with a breadth of analytical skills and contextual understanding of the impact of their work. Our faculty comprises a diverse and inclusive team from various professional backgrounds – academia, industry and military. This diversity adds to the strength of the department, and provides students with a wide range of teaching, advising and research perspectives. In addition, our full-time and adjunct faculty with industry and military experiences have chosen to return to academia as a way of serving our students and passing on their wealth of knowledge and practical experiences. I encourage you to look at the individual program pages to see the type of courses, faculty experiences and research areas that are available to our students.
We value the deep connections we retain with our passionate and active alumni. Our alums represent a wide range of professions within engineering and management, and many have attained leadership positions that help guide the direction of their organizations. Many regularly teach courses in our programs, and all serve as examples of what our students can achieve. We are very fortunate that our alumni also serve as mentors who help our students find an academic path that fits their expertise and passion.
Thank you for your interest in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Society. As our department continues to grow and have an impact on future leaders, I hope you will return to our site to learn more about our accomplishments and future developments.
James Tangorra, PhD
Professor and Department Head