PRINT DISCLAIMER: Official version of this document is accessible in the online policy library at https://policyoffice.ku.edu/. Printed copies may not reflect the most recent updates.
DOCUMENT TYPE:
Policy
PURPOSE:
To define the rules and regulate the affairs of the School of Engineering.
APPLIES TO:
Faculty and students within the School of Engineering.
CAMPUS:
Lawrence
POLICY STATEMENT:
1. KUAE Mission Statement
KUAE fosters a world-class community of choice for students, educators, researchers and industry partners by strategically aligning our teaching, research and service missions to prepare students for successful professional careers by providing them with foundational knowledge in and experience with aerospace engineering disciplines and interdisciplinary systems integration, while advancing the state-of-the-art
- We are an international leader in undergraduate, graduate and continuing aerospace education, balancing theory and practice to best prepare our graduates for professional practice and for higher education
- We provide world class graduate and undergraduate research experiences focused on designing, simulating, building, testing and flying aerospace vehicles and systems, including practical experience in applying aerospace fundamentals to interdisciplinary research and advancing knowledge.
- We invest in research infrastructure and select and develop outstanding and diverse students, faculty and staff to maintain an intellectually stimulating and collegial atmosphere in which to conduct globally significant basic and applied research
- We support the aerospace profession by educating the public through outreach, educating working professionals through the KU Aerospace Short Course program and advising policymakers in government, industry and professional organizations.
- We partner with the aerospace industry through directed research, internships and professional mentoring to ensure that our graduates are recognized and hired as those best prepared for professional success.
2. KUAE Strategic Goals
To support our teaching mission:
- Attract, develop and retain the highest quality students representing broad demographics
- Provide immersive, experiential learning opportunities integrated across the curriculum
- Expand the number and frequency of higher level graduate course offerings
- Attract, advance, and retain an outstanding and diverse technical staff to support cutting edge, holistic, education and research
- Achieve and maintain a state-of-the-art distance education capability to expand educational outreach to remote learners and increase access to remote expertise for local learners
- Develop and modernize facilities appropriate to providing intellectually stimulating curricular experiences
To increase the quality and volume of funded research:
- Attract, advance, and retain a diverse and continuously growing number of world-class faculty and research staff
- Attract and develop the highest quality graduate students representing broad demographics, with a particular emphasis on increasing the number of doctoral students
- Develop high quality, state-of-the-art research facilities appropriate to enabling globally significant basic and applied research
- Attract, advance, and retain an outstanding and diverse technical staff to support cutting edge, holistic, education and research
- Strategically target and transition technologies of national importance to enhance interdisciplinary, collaborative research
- Expand partnerships with industry leaders in directed research
To provide service:
- Be leaders in preparing our graduates for successful professional careers
- Be leaders in national and international technical and academic societies and editorial boards
- Expand the internationally renowned KU Aerospace Short Course and distance learning programs
3. Educational Policies
Educational policies for the Department of Aerospace Engineering are contained within the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Handbooks.
4. Evaluation Policies
Departmental evaluation policies for Promotion and Tenure are found in Aerospace Engineering Department Evaluation Criteria for Promotion and Tenure, and for annual faculty evaluation are found in Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas Faculty Evaluation Plan.
5. Standing Committees
Standing Committees provide a venue for Department Faculty to exchange information between faculty and the administration of the department, and to communicate information to the Dean. These committees may recommend the use of physical resources, budgetary matters, personnel practices, and relationships to other elements of the University and broader community.
Unless stated otherwise, all members of a committee have voting rights within that committee. Typical committee votes concern items that will advance to the full Department Faculty for a final vote (e.g. a proposal to add a new elective course to the curriculum, or a slate of candidates to be offered GTA positions). Standing committees are those that address the ongoing activities of the Department. The Chair will form ad hoc committees to address needs of a more immediate and temporary nature, such as new faculty hires.
The Chair will, in consultation with Department faculty, designate chairpersons for each standing committee. Committee compositions will be determined based on faculty interests to the maximum extent possible. Committee membership will be ongoing, unless a faculty member requests to shift his or her participation to a different committee.
The following is a list of Department of Aerospace Engineering Standing Committees:
a. Curriculum Committee
The primary charge of the Curriculum Committee is to provide general oversight of Department required and elective course content. The Committee shall keep itself informed on the current accreditation rules of ABET. The Curriculum Committee conducts a periodic (at least once every two years) assessment of the curriculum so as to understand enrollment trends, potential scheduling difficulties, how well the curriculum is meeting program and student needs, etc. The Committee also develops and reviews proposals for course changes and new course offerings on an as needed basis.
b. Graduate Program Committee
The primary charge of the Graduate Program Committee is to provide general oversight of the Department’s graduate program at both the Master and Doctoral levels. The Committee recommends changes to the graduate program periodically for the full faculty to consider and vote. In addition, the committee makes decisions on graduate student admissions, and graduate fellowship. The chair of the committee, the Graduate Program Director, manages the PhD qualifying exams.
c. Promotion and Tenure Committee
The Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee is charged to assist Department Faculty in preparing their dossier for tenure and/or promotion. The P&T Committee coordinates the review of all teaching evaluations, collection of external letters of support, and leads the discussion of candidate evaluation with the Department Faculty.
d. Sabbatical and Leave Committee
The Sabbatical and Leave Committee is charged to review all applicants from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and provide a recommendation to the Chair. The Chair will forward all necessary documentation to the School Sabbatical and Leave Committee.
e. Scholarship and Honors Committee
The Scholarship Committee is charged with the evaluation of candidates for various scholarships within the Department. This Committee makes recommendations for scholarship awards, to be voted on by the Department Faculty. The Scholarship Committee also seeks ways to support undergraduate research experiences.
6. Amendments to the Department of Aerospace Engineering Program Bylaws
These bylaws are subject to change as needed to support the best interests of the Department of Aerospace Engineering. Any Department Faculty member may propose an amendment to the bylaws. The Chair will circulate proposed amendments to all Department Faculty at least one week in advance of any meeting or vote on said amendments. The Department Faculty shall approve, modify, or reject any propose bylaws amendment by a 50% quorum.
CONTACT:
Aerospace Engineering
2120 Learned Hall
1530 West 15th Street
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-4267
RESPONSIBLE UNIT:
School of Engineering
APPROVED BY:
Engineering Faculty Senate
APPROVED ON:
2014-02-03
EFFECTIVE ON:
2014-02-03
REVIEW CYCLE:
1 year
CHANGE HISTORY:
04/23/2026: Converted from PDF to live text page.
10/01/2025: Updated formatting.
04/07/2025: Migration to TeamDynamix from Drupal.
10/28/2021: Uploaded accessible document.
11/10/2015: Added approval date, approval, and change history sections.
02/03/2014: Approved by Engineering Faculty Senate.
TITLE:
School of Engineering Bylaws, Aerospace Engineering