The Computer-Aided Engineering Network (CAEN) is organized as a department reporting to the College of Engineering's Dean's office and is led by the Executive Director of Information Technology. CAEN supplies comprehensive information technology services and resources to faculty, staff, and students of the College of Engineering. In addition to offering computer labs, software, and collaborative work environments, CAEN promotes the use of high performance computing resources in support of teaching and research and provides assistance and consulting to faculty.
CAEN was created in 1983 under the leadership of College Dean James Duderstadt, Associate Dean Daniel Atkins, and its first director, Richard L. Philips (who served until 1986). The original plan called for 400 to 500 personal computer workstations on U-M's Central and North Campuses that would link faculty and students to laboratories, classrooms, offices, and dorms. The initiative was highly innovative at the time and established a model that other institutions would follow in the ensuing decades.
In its first year, CAEN offered 100 Apple Lisa computers for open computing use by all Engineering students in three labs (145 Chrysler Center, 2070 Dow, and the Engineering Library). The following years would see CAEN expand the number and size of labs as well as offer new services for its user community. Telnet services became available in 1988 and the Pine email program entered wide use in 1994, the same year that CAEN and the College appeared on the World Wide Web. 1994 also marked the establishment of Camp CAEN, a "computer exploration camp" that introduced computer science and computer engineering to middle and high school students. During this period, CAEN was led by Randall Frank, who succeeded Philips in 1986 and served until 1995, at which point Paul Killey assumed leadership of the division.
In 1996, the recently completed Integrated Technology Instruction Center (ITIC) was renamed the Media Union (and would later become the Duderstadt Center) and CAEN became one of its first residents. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, CAEN continued to expand its resources and services. Mark Giuffrida was named Director of CAEN in 2001 and as of 2012, the division was jointly led by Giuffrida and Paul Killey, who also serves as Executive Director of Information Technology for the College.
From the guide to the Computer-Aided Engineering Network (University of Michigan) records, 1984-2008, 1986-2005, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
