RPI recently announced the appointment of acting deans to the School of Science, the School of Architecture, and the School of Engineering, and three core recruitment committees are currently searching for permanent replacements for each school.
President Shirley Ann Jackson worked with Provost Robert Palazzo on the appointment of Mark Mistur ’83 as acting dean of the School of Architecture, Timothy Wei as acting dean of the School of Engineering, and David Spooner as the acting dean of the School of Science
Mistur, associate professor of architecture, received the Rensselaer Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award in 2003 and the Rensselaer Faculty Early Research Career Award in 2005. Mistur received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from RPI.
Having served as the School of Architecture’s associate dean for six years­—from 1998 through 2004—Mistur has worked on the School of Architecture’s key initiatives through the development of new educational degree programs, the integration of cutting-edge technology into the classroom, the creation of new coursework, and the strengthening of existing curriculums.
Mistur developed the School of Architecture’s Design Development Studio course, and played a key role in redesigning the final project and thesis experience for seniors.
He will replace former Dean Alan Balfour, who leaves the Institute this summer to take a position at the Georgia Institute of Technology as its dean of the College of Architecture.
The core recruitment committee that has been established to perform a national and international search for a permanent dean will be chaired by Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences John Harrington. Also on the committee are Professor of Architecture Russ Leslie; Associate Professors of Architecture Anna Dyson and Ted Krueger; Assistant Professors of Architecture Jonas Braasch, Farah Garba, and Andrew Saunders; Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering Michael Jensen; and Associate Dean of Science for Graduate Education and Research Bill Siegmann.
Wei, professor and head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, has been named acting dean of the School of Engineering. After spending nearly 20 years at Rutgers University, Wei joined Rensselaer in 2006. His efforts have strengthened the recruitment of new faculty and students, and he has been a key figure in shaping the MANE department.
Wei has received millions of research dollars in grant funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other top agencies.
Wei will take the place of Dean Alan Cramb. Cramb will be taking a position as senior vice president and provost at the Illinois Institute of Technology, effective as of the 2008-09 academic year’s start.
In a letter to the Engineering faculty, Wei said, “It is through your hard work and guidance of students and research programs that we are on our way back to the elite rankings that are commensurate with our elite reputation and programs.
“But perhaps most importantly, there has been a growing sense of community and empowerment which [Cramb] has worked very hard to encourage,” Wei said.
The core recruitment committee that has been established to conduct a national and international search for a permanent Dean of Engineering is chaired by Dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology David Gautschi and co-chaired by Vice President for Information Services and Technology and Chief Information Officer John Kolb ’79. Also serving on the committee are the William Weightman Walker Professor of Polymer Engineering Steven Cramer; Department Head of Biomedical Engineering Natacha DePaola; Institute Professor of Engineering Ricardo Dobry; the John Tod Horton ’52 Professor of Materials Engineering David Duquette; the Rosalind and John J. Redfern, Jr. ’33 Professor of Engineering Jacob Fish; Department Head of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems Charles Malmborg; Professor of the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering John Wen ’85; Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering Luciano Castillo; the Ray Palmer Baker Distinguished Professor of Physics Toh-Ming Lu; Ford Foundation Professor of Mathematics Joyce McLaughlin; and Chair of the Engineering Advisory Council Michael Ciminera ’59.
Spooner, associate dean of science and information technology, has been appointed acting dean of the School of Science. He has spent 27 years at RPI and has helped lead the IT program and the School of Science during that time.
As associate dean, Spooner built and developed the interdisciplinary IT program since its inception in 1998, first as the undergraduate curriculum committee chair and then as associate dean for IT. Spooner led the effort to establish the program at both the bachelor’s and master’s level. He also helped develop doctoral programs in all of Rensselaer’s schools with a focus on information technology-related issues.
Spooner said, “My goal as Acting Dean of Science is to continue the growth and development of the School of Science.” He continued, “We will continue strategic hiring of faculty and strive to bring the best undergraduate and graduate students to Rensselaer and provide them with the best education that we can offer.”
Spooner will be replacing Dean Wei Zhao, who leaves RPI to serve as Rector of the University of Macau in China, effective with the 2008-09 academic year. “The efforts of [Zhao] provide a good foundation from which to build. He introduced a proposal initiative to increase external research funding acoss the school. He also focused on recognition of excellence and greater communications within the school and to its alumni,” Spooner remarked.
The core recruitment committee that has been established to perform a national and international search for a permanent dean of Science will be chaired by Cramb and co-chaired by Head of Earth and Environmental Sciences Frank Spear. Also on the committee are the Ann and John H. Broadbent, Jr. ’59 Senior Constellation Chair, Biocatalysis & Metabolic Engineering Robert Linhardt; Constellation Professors Shawn Yu Lin, George Makhatadze, and Deborah McGuinness; Professor of Mathematical Sciences Isom Herron; and the Elaine S. & Jack S. Parker Professor in Science and Engineering Shekhar Garde. This committee is tasked to submit recommendations for the position by September 1, while the other committees must submit recommendations by December 1.
Jackson stated, “Deans Cramb, Balfour, and Zhao have achieved a great deal in their time at Rensselaer. Together, they have helped develop and expand the role of research, innovation, and collaboration, both on campus and internationally, and have helped Rensselaer students and faculty continue to gain prominence and recognition around the world.”
She continued, “With the support of the Rensselaer community, they have become international leaders in their schools and in their fields, and it is not at all surprising that their talents and excellent leadership would capture the notice of other top technological universities. Each of them continues a distinguished career by moving to positions of increased responsibility and leadership. While we will miss them, I am proud to see them excel and wish them the best.
“I look forward to working with our students, faculty, and the search committees to find the best possible leaders for their schools and the Rensselaer community.”
