Johns Hopkins Gazette: August 18, 1997

Search For Engineering
Dean To Start
August 28

Mike Field
Staff Writer
A committee of faculty representing every Engineering deparment as well as representatives from the School of Arts and Sciences, APL and the Engineering student body will meet with university President William R. Brody Aug. 28. Their hourlong meeting will formally begin the search for a new dean for the Whiting School of Engineering.

During the meeting, President Brody is expected to describe some of the key attributes the next dean must possess and charge the committee to recommend a list of top candidates for his consideration. Provost Steven Knapp will chair the search effort, which will solicit nominations on a national level.

"The primary challenge facing any dean search committee is getting a good group of highly qualified candidates into the pool early on," Knapp said. "One of the things we will want to make sure we do is get qualified women and minority candidates on the list from the very start."

Fifteen faculty and administrative members have already agreed to work on the committee. Their names and departments are listed below. An additional two student members--one graduate and one undergraduate--are to be appointed sometime in early September.

"The committee welcomes any nominations from members of the Hopkins community," said Stephen McClain, vice provost for academic planning and budget, who will staff the committee. "We will be sending a letter to all Engineering faculty asking for their suggestions. We will also write to other deans and notable individuals in the field asking them for suggestions."

The new dean, who is expected to lead the Whiting School into the 21st century, will need to have established and well-recognized academic credentials, administrative skills to run a complex enterprise and expertise in working with diverse external constituencies.

"By that we mean the ability to interact well with alumni and trustees and others, and of course, skills in fund raising," McClain said. "Ten or 15 years ago when we looked for deans we said that fundraising skills were helpful. Today, they are essential."

With 111 faculty currently, the Whiting School is involved in many initiatives ranging from language and speech processing, materials science, geometric computing, nanostructures and microelectronics. The university officially re-established the school as a separate division in 1979. Annual research expenditures at the school are now nearly $30 million.

"Generally this is exactly the right time to begin a nationwide search based on my experience," Knapp said, "in order for an appointment to be made in time for the beginning of the next academic year.

In April, Engineering Dean Don Giddens announced he was leaving Hopkins to return to biomedical engineering teaching and research at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Charles Westgate, the William B. Kouwenhoven Professor of Electrical Engineering and associate dean for academic affairs at the school, was appointed interim dean in May.

"Under the leadership of Don Giddens, the Whiting School made tremendous strides in building a vibrant faculty and gaining national recognition, and the school's strengths are amply represented by this search committee," Knapp said. "Don's will be a tough act to follow, but his achievements will certainly help us attract excellent candidates who will be eager to lead a school that is so clearly on an upward curve."

Members of the search committee

Lenore J. Cowen
Assistant Professor, Mathematical Sciences

J. Hugh Ellis
Chairman, Geography and Environmental Engineering

John M. Ferry
Morton K. Blaustein Professor/Chair, Earth and Planetary Sciences

G. Richard Garritson
Chief of Staff, Applied Physics Laboratory

Joseph Katz
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

S. Rao Kosaraju
Professor, Computer Science

Poul V. Lade
Professor, Civil Engineering

Robert J. Massa
Dean of Enrollment Management, Homewood Student Affairs

Gary K. Ostrander
Associate Dean for Research, School of Arts and Sciences

Michael Paulaitis
Professor, Chemical Engineering

Jerry L. Prince
Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Murray B. Sachs
Professor / Director, Biomedical Engineering

Peter C. Searson
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Steven Knapp
Provost

Stephen M. McClain
Staff


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