The University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering was founded as part of the College of Engineering in 1895/96 through the transfer of several courses originally offered by the Department of Physics. Electrical engineering proved a popular area of study. Throughout the first two decades of the twentieth century course offerings were increased and the size of the department’s faculty was expanded. In 1926, the number of faculty members within the department stabilized, but growth resumed during World War II. Subsequent post-war research into both electronics and computer technology spurred continuing growth within the department. In July, 1971 the department’s name was altered to reflect technological change, becoming the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Research was always a part of the department’s activities, however, prior to World War I it was usually carried out on an individual basis. In 1920 the organization of the Department of Engineering Research by the College of Engineering facilitated a gradual shift towards group efforts, often funded by private industry. During World War II the federal government first began to broadly fund research and the department received and continues to receive a large number of federally sponsored research projects.
In July 1984 the Department of Computer and Communication Science in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts transferred its faculty and merged with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This combined department was renamed the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering. Researchers can find more information about the department at its web site: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/eecs/
From the guide to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (University of Michigan) records, 1920-1997, 1970-1997, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
