Behrend’s School of Engineering is preparing to name its new director after many months of searching.

 

The School of Engineering has not had a director since 2015, when the last director, Dr. Ralph Ford, became chancellor of Behrend. The school has been headed by interim directors in the meantime; but, finally, the search has been narrowed down to the final candidates, and a decision will be made and announced by the end of the spring semester.

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About fifty candidates initially applied for the position. A search committee comprised of faculty members worked together to review application materials submitted by candidates to narrow down the field qualified for a video interview. The candidates were required to have a Ph.D. in one of the School’s disciplines or a closely related field, but with no preference as to which discipline, as well as at least three years of leadership experience.

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After the video interviews were conducted, the committee discussed the remaining candidates once again and requested that the top candidates come to Behrend for two days of on-site interviews. Now, the committee is in the process of making their final decision. The new director will be ready to take their position in time for the 2018-2019 school year.

 

The director’s duties include managing the School’s funds, overseeing the development and execution of new curricula within undergraduate and graduate programs and research initiatives, and reaching out to university partners and potential employers to increase visibility for the School and enhance the School’s reputation. The director leads efforts to continue the ABET accreditation with nine out of the ten degrees offered by the School—this accreditation assures employers that the programs offered by the university meet the standards of the profession. The director is the head of the School’s 70 full-time faculty members and enrolled students that number over 1,700.

 

Once the director is in place, the School of Engineering will be able to continue searching for ways to expand and improve upon its areas of study and research.

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“There are a lot of opportunities and possibilities,” said Dr. Elisa Wu, Chair of Mechanical Engineering and head of the faculty search committee. “It will be the director’s job to make strategic planning for changes or improvement.”

 

Dr. Ford was director from 2005 to 2015, during which time he oversaw the creation of several new research centers and academic programs that ultimately landed Behrend on the list of U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 undergraduate engineering schools, where it currently sits at 29th. He began serving as interim chancellor in July of 2015 and was officially named chancellor in January of 2016.

 

After Dr. Ford became chancellor, Dr. Russell Warley, at the time an associate professor of mechanical engineering, was named interim director. He stayed in that position until mid-2017, when he moved to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to become their Dean of Faculty. The current interim director is Mr. Edward Evans, an associate professor of mechanical engineering technology.