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From the President and Provost

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February 22, 2011, Volume 57, No. 23

Extending Tenure of Engineering Dean

We are pleased to announce that Eduardo Glandt, the Robert D. Bent Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has agreed to extend his term as Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science until June 30, 2015. 

Respect and admiration for Eduardo’s leadership are widespread, and reflect his many accomplishments as Dean of Penn Engineering over the past 11 years. In deciding to extend Eduardo’s term, we have consulted with the elected SEAS Faculty Council, deans, senior officers of the University, the chairs of the Faculty Senate, Board of Trustees chair David L. Cohen, and SEAS Board of Overseers chair Andrew Rachleff. They are unanimous in their praise for Eduardo’s achievements as Dean, and they join us in enthusiastically supporting the extension of his second term, which would have ended on June 30, 2012, for an additional three years.

Though he has described himself as a long-distance runner who is only two-thirds of the way through his race, Eduardo has achieved an enviable record as Dean. He has demonstrated the consistent ability to infuse others with his passion for Penn Engineering and to articulate a compelling vision of the School’s future to audiences both within and outside the University. He has solidified the School’s excellence by recruiting and retaining outstanding junior and senior faculty, increasing the size of the SEAS faculty by almost 17 percent in the process. He has planned and implemented successful strategic initiatives in information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. As a result, Penn Engineering is now pushing the boundaries in areas such as nanotechnology, information systems, and biological engineering. The School’s impact is measured in its impressive scholarly productivity index, numerous faculty and student awards, strong corporate relations, and remarkable track record of placing its students in the highest positions in academia, industry, and government.

An indefatigable fundraiser, Eduardo is, as he likes to say, “a three crane Dean,” having raised the funds needed to greatly expand and modernize the School’s physical plant. He takes pride in the construction of exceptional buildings, such as Levine Hall, Skirkanich Hall, and the forthcoming Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology, which are dramatically transforming the infrastructure for technological education and research at Penn. Under his leadership, Penn Engineering’s research funding has more than doubled, as has the School’s endowment. Extending Eduardo’s term for an additional three years will maintain the School’s strong momentum, through and beyond the closing of the current Making History campaign.

Not surprisingly, these dramatic strategic accomplishments­—combined with distinctive interdisciplinary programs offered in collaboration with other Penn Schools, such as Management and Technology, Digital Media Design, and the new Rajendra and Neera Singh Program in Market and Social Systems Engineering—have made Penn Engineering a magnet for exceptional students.  Prospective students are especially attracted by the many opportunities to enhance their engineering education by studying with faculty across the University and to prepare themselves for leadership roles not only in engineering and applied science, but also in medicine, business, and law.  In particular, Penn Engineering continues to experience significant growth in recruiting, enrolling, and retaining female undergraduates, opening the doors to women for future careers in science, technology, and related fields.

While doing all of this, Eduardo has fostered a vibrant and highly collaborative community of innovation. He has been a model University citizen, an expert collaborator with the University’s senior leadership, and a true leader among his fellow deans.

We are confident that Eduardo Glandt will continue to lead Penn Engineering to new heights.  We look forward to working with him in the years ahead to ensure that Penn Engineering continues to thrive as an ever more eminent institution.

—Amy Gutmann, President

—Vincent Price, Provost

 

Almanac - February 22, 2011, Volume 57, No. 23