Increased support and new role to improve experience for Michigan Engineering first-year students
Fei Wen named inaugural Faculty Director of the First Year Program.
In an effort to create a more unified, student-centered experience for first-year students, Michigan Engineering has appointed Fei Wen, a professor of chemical engineering, as the inaugural First Year Program Faculty Director for Undergraduate Education, effective March 1, 2025.
The new role was created following recommendations from the College’s First Year Task Force, which proposed a more cohesive and coordinated approach to the first-year engineering experience. The Faculty Director reports to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and leads efforts to enhance the curriculum and support structure for first-year students.
This appointment is part of a broader set of investments in the first-year experience. In the past year, Michigan Engineering has significantly expanded its Engineering Advising Center’s team of first-year advisors to increase advising hours and personalized guidance for incoming students. The College has also launched a Generative AI initiative to develop instructional modules that will be integrated into the ENGR 100 curriculum starting this fall, equipping students with foundational AI literacy and ethics early in their studies. In addition, a new series of orientation seminars will debut this academic year, designed to guide students through their first year with timely topics on academic success, professional development, community building, adaptability and resilience.
“Supporting our students through the transition from high school into college, and then into their academic departments, is important for setting them up for success,” said Wen. “Students experience many changes during this time in their lives, and I’m excited to help shape a first-year experience that builds community, confidence and a strong academic foundation.”
Wen chairs the First Year Program Committee, which oversees the first-year engineering student experience, including programmatic aspects such as the orientation seminars mentioned above as well as curricular aspects such as the common core course requirements for engineering undergraduates (i.e., foundational math, physics, and chemistry requirements as well as ENGR 100 and 101). She also works closely with academic departments, the Engineering Advising Center, and partners in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts to align first-year initiatives and ensure a smooth transition for students from first-year advising to departmental advising. In addition to academic responsibilities, Wen also works to secure resources and collaborate with College offices and departments to sustainably deliver a world-class first-year engineering student experience.
Wen brings extensive experience to the role of First Year Program Faculty Director. In her home department of chemical engineering, where she is wrapping up her time as associate chair for undergraduate education, she launched a new lower-division course designed to strengthen early engagement in the discipline.
“Fei’s deep commitment to students and their academic development, combined with her creativity and leadership experience in curricular innovation and departmental advising, makes her an outstanding choice to oversee the experience of our first-year students both within and outside of the classroom,” said Kevin Pipe, associate dean for undergraduate education. “She has a thoughtful and collaborative approach that is very effective in maximizing their intellectual and professional development.”
Wen has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan since 2012. She is a recipient of the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize and Michigan Engineering’s David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award.
The initial draft of this story was generated by AI and then revised and validated by human editors.