U-M MEAM CPO / Shekinah Errington

Steven L. Ceccio, Associate Chair
   As MEAM's research budget has nearly doubled over the past five years—from $9.3 million in 1994 to $18 million today— this growth has put increased demands on MEAM's infrastructure, including support staff, space, and facilities.
   That's why Ceccio's top priorities are analyzing staffing needs and organization, improving MEAM faculty-staff relations, and optimizing the use of the Department's space and facilities.
   He is in the process of developing a plan that will accommodate these increased needs— including the addition of five new faculty this year—and create a more productive, positive work environment.
   Ceccio's goal is to reorganize staff resources so that faculty members have access to the services they need, while support staff have opportunities for growth and development. "MEAM is a large Department with a lot of activity," says Ceccio. "My hope is to structure the organization so that faculty, staff, and students all get the services they need as efficiently and smoothly as possible."
   Ceccio has been on the MEAM faculty since 1990. He received his BSE in Mechanical Engineering from U-M and his MS and PhD, both in Mechanical Engineering, from the California Institute of Technology. He was awarded the 1996 U.S. Department of Energy Young Scientist and Engineer Award-Defense Programs and the 1994 MEAM Excellence in Teaching Award.

U-M MEAM CPO / Rodney Hill
Associate Professor S. Jack Hu, MEAM Graduate Programs Chair, left, meets with Research Fellow Wei Li, center, and graduate student Alex Rosaen. Steven L. Ceccio, Associate Chair

S. Jack Hu, Graduate Programs Chair
    Under Hu's direction, MEAM is taking a leadership role in the development of two new graduate degree programs that are being encouraged by the College of Engineering (CoE). It's part of Hu's overall effort to reexamine MEAM's traditional graduate degrees and analyze if they are meeting the needs of today's students.
   MEAM currently has three ways to earn a traditional Master of Science—with completion of a thesis, research, or coursework. Now, the Department is developing a MS degree with a team project from industry. This new approach is an outgrowth of the CoE's Practice Overlay Implementation Committee, which Hu chaired. Hu is also working on a Simultaneous Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (SGUS) degree through which students can earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree in five years.
   Hu has been extensively involved in graduate education in MEAM and the CoE. In addition to teaching graduate courses, he has several MS and PhD students who do research with him. He has also served on the Department's Graduate Studies Committee for three years.
   "MEAM's graduate programs are very strong. I want the Academic Services Office (ASO) to be very accessible to students and faculty," says Hu. "It is a resource to them. My door will always be open."
   Hu has been on the MEAM faculty since 1991. He received his BS from Tianjin University, People's Republic of China, and his MS and PhD from U-M, all in Mechanical Engineering. He was awarded the 1997 U-M CoE Robert Caddell Memorial Faculty Achievement Award, a 1996 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, and the 1993 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).