Four finalists have been named in the search for the next dean of engineering and architecture, according to Craig Schnell, provost and vice president for academic affairs. The candidates will visit campus during February and March.
The list of finalists was forwarded to Schnell by a search committee chaired by Charles Peterson, dean of pharmacy. The candidates include Duane Abata, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at Northern Arizona University; Dan Ewert, NDSU professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering; Bor Jang, NDSU professor and chair of mechanical engineering; and M. Sathyamoorthy, professor and dean of the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering at West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
Abata is scheduled to visit NDSU March 3-4, Ewert is set for interviews Feb. 14-15, Jang is scheduled for March 8-9 and Sathyamoorthy is set for Feb. 24-25.
Abata joined Northern Arizona University in 2003. He served as president of the American Society for Engineering Education from 2003-04 and as program director in the Engineering and Education Centers Division of the National Science Foundation in 2001-03. He also served more than 20 years on the faculty of Michigan Technological University, and was a research scientist from 1995-96 at Danmarks Tekneske Universitet in Copenhagen, Denmark.
His honors include the Ralph R. Teetor Outstanding Educator Award at Michigan Technological University from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the society's Arch T. Colwell Award and Forest R. McFarland Award, MTU Distinguished Teaching Award and Distinguished Faculty Member honors from the State of Michigan Association of Governing Boards and the governor of Michigan. Abata earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His vita lists 30 significant presentations during the past 10 years; five books, book chapters and patents; and 18 refereed publications.
Ewert joined the NDSU faculty in 1990. He also has served as a consultant for St. Jude Medical and the University of Louisville Department of Surgery. Ewert's honors include NDSU College of Engineering and Architecture Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, NDSU Apple Polisher Award, College of Engineering and Architecture Researcher of the Year, Mortar Board Preferred Professor and Mortar Board Outstanding Academic Adviser.
Ewert's vita lists 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, two patents and 43 abstracts, conference proceedings and technical reports. He earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota.
Jang came to NDSU in 2002 from Auburn University, where he was a faculty member for 10 years. He also served as the director of graduate studies for the materials engineering program at Auburn. In addition, he was a Fulbright visiting professor from 1991-92 at the University of Cambridge, England. His vita lists 53 patents or patents pending, six refereed review articles, 78 refereed journal publications and eight book chapters.
Among Jang's awards are the Ralph Teetor Educational Award sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Fred H. Pumphrey Teaching Award at Auburn University and NASA Space Technology Award. He also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Manufacturing Systems and the Journal of Manufacturing Processes. Jang earned his bachelor's degree at the National Central University in Taiwan, and his master's degree and doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Named dean at WVU Tech in 2001, Sathyamoorthy successfully led his college through accreditation, helped secure $8 million in Defense Department funding for unmanned aerial vehicles and established a Center of Excellence in Control Systems Engineering. Sathyamoorthy previously was chair of the mechanical and aeronautical engineering department at Clarkson University, serving on that institution's faculty for more than 20 years. He also was a consultant for General Motors Central Foundry and the U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Sathyamoorthy's honors include Clarkson University's Distinguished Teaching Award, Award of Excellence and Outstanding Adviser Award; ASME Dedicated Service Award and Tau Beta Pi Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. His vita includes 64 journal papers and 60 conference proceedings. Sathyamoorthy earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
The person selected for the position is expected to start July 1.