Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association

About ECEDHA

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association is composed of heads or chairs of departments offering accredited programs in electrical and/or computer engineering.

Purpose

The purposes of ECEDHA, as expressed in the ECEDHA constitution, are threefold:

• help advance the field;
• help members exchange ideas;
• improve communication with the profession, industry, government, and others.

Membership

ECEDHA membership is open to the official leaders (whether called head, chair, or some other title) of U.S. university departments offering ABET-accredited electrical and/or computer engineering (or similarly named) programs. Of about 300 departments offering such programs, almost 90 percent are currently represented in ECEDHA.

Associate membership in ECEDHA is open to the leaders of similar departments that are either located outside the U.S., or whose programs are not currently accredited.

Affiliate membership in ECEDHA is granted by the ECEDHA Board of Directors to industrial and governmental organizations with a strong interest in electrical and computer engineering education.

Those who qualify for any grade of membership but who are not currently members are encouraged to apply for membership. Inquiries should be sent to information@ecedha.org.

A list of ECEDHA members is not available. However, the ECEDHA on-line Directory of Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments gives names and contact information of department heads, most of whom are ECEDHA members.

2003-04 ECEDHA Organization and Governance

Stephen M. Goodnick 2003-04 ECEDHA President Arizona State University

ECEDHA is run, in accordance with the ECEDHA constitution, by three elected officers who are ECEDHA members and must also be IEEE members. Current officers (July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004):

• President, Stephen M. Goodnick
• Vice President, W. Kenneth Jenkins
• Secretary/Treasurer, Kenneth A. Connor

Past officers

The President conducts a business meeting annually during the ECEDHA Annual Meeting. All ECEDHA members are encouraged to attend.

ECEDHA administration is carried out by the International Engineering Consortium (IEC):

• Executive Director, Robert M. Janowiak
• Program Manager, John R. Janowiak
• Program Administrator, Kathleen Ricker

ECEDHA Board

ECEDHA is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of

• the three elected officers: Stephen M. Goodnick, W. Kenneth Jenkins, and Kenneth A. Connor,
• the two most recent ECEDHA Presidents: James H. Aylor and David A. Soldan,
• two members at large: Pradeep K. Khosla (02-04) and Pamela L. Mack (03-05),
• a representative from the IEC Board: A. Wayne Bennett,
• the Executive Director of ECEDHA (non-voting): Robert M. Janowiak

2002-03 ECEDHA Board of Directors
Rear, left to right, Bennett, Aylor, Soldan, Wood, Khosla
Front, left to right, Godnick, Janowiak, Orr, Jenkins.
Photo taken August 2002, in Jackson Hole, WY.

ECEDHA Committees

The Board appoints ECEDHA committees from time to time. The Nominating Committee is required by the ECEDHA constitution. The following committees are currently in operation:

• Nominating, David A. Soldan, Chair, and James H. Aylor, member.
  Latest call for nominations

• Awards, Sally Wood, Pamela Mack, and Steve Goodnick
  Past award winners
  Latest call for nominations

• Annual Survey, Rodney J. Soukup, chair.
  2003 survey summary presentation

• Newsletter, S. S. (Paul) Devgan, chair, and
  Hossein Mousavinezhad, co-chair.
  Latest newsletter

• Web, James H. Aylor, chair.

• Steering, James H. Aylor, Chair, and David A. Soldan, Member.

History of ECEDHA

The first organization of EE department heads met in Philadelphia, PA, on June 20, 1963. Forty-seven campuses were represented. The organization was originally called AEEDH, standing for Association of Electrical Engineering Department Heads, and later EEDHA. Most AEEDH meetings were held at ASEE Annual Meetings and, starting in 1971, at the annual Frontiers in Education conference. The organization published annual directories, offered advice regarding accreditation issues, held regional and national meetings, and generally facilitated interaction and information exchange among department heads. In 1985 the organization held its first stand-alone meeting apart from ASEE or FIE, and in 1986 changed its name to NEEDHA, standing for National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association. Since 1985 it has met annually. In 2001 the name was changed to ECEDHA, partly to recognize the importance of computer engineering, and partly to encourage participation from departments outside the United States.

In 1992 an extensive history of NEEDHA was written by Keith R. Carver. Supplies of this document have been exhausted, and there are no plans to print more. The World Wide Web edition of this history has been available since January 25, 1997.

The transfer of ECEDHA leadership from one President to the next is symbolized by the passing of the ECEDHA gavel, a ceremony which normally takes place at the annual meeting.

Sherra Kerns presents the NEEDHA gavel to Paul Penfield, March 26, 1996.