I am very excited to join the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering as the Dean, effective July 1, 2012. I am already working with faculty, staff, students, and the administrations of Florida A&M and Florida State Universities to build on the College's 30 years of success in providing engineering education. Now is the time to enhance, through teamwork, stronger collaboration, cohesiveness and sense of community in the college as we continue achievements in "Quality, Growth and Diversity" in engineering education.
The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering offers great potential through its uniqueness, advantages and the numerous opportunities offered. As the Dean of Engineering I will work to continue building on the College's many positive attributes. I am excited about the career challenges of the future and anticipate us working together on a shared vision to move the College to the next level.
Following my undergraduate and graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I began my career in industry conducting research and development at the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center in Schenectady, New York. I later joined Clark Atlanta University, building an engineering program as associate dean for science and engineering and served as technical director of the Research Center for Science and Technology. During my tenure at Penn State, I was the department head of the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, administering degree programs in energy, environmental systems, mining, and petroleum and natural gas engineering and continued my research in catalysis, bioenergy, fuel cells and combustion, and emission control. Now, I will move to new endeavors in leading the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in becoming one of the best engineering education organizations nationally and internationally as I join colleagues at two great institutions of higher education in the wonderful city of Tallahassee. I am most thankful to have these experiences and opportunities.
Before I end, I would like to share some of the College's most recent exciting achievements:
- Fall 2011 enrollment surpassed 2500 students.
- Two engineering faculty members won National Science Foundation CAREER Awards: William Oates of Mechanical Engineering and Anant Paravastu of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering who join another NSF CAREER recipient, Hui (Helen) Li.
- The American Society of Civil Engineering Student Chapter hosted the Southeast Regional Competition and won second place overall.
- Electrical and Computer Engineering students won the 2012 IEEE SouteastCon robotics competition.
- Bing Energy relocated to Tallahassee to partner with FSU on high-tech fuel cells developed by FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers.
I look forward to us working together to attain the best for our students, assisting our faculty in their scholarly pursuits and staying connected in growing our engineering programs and the national and international stature of the College. I invite you to visit the College and be part of the excitement. The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering: Two Universities – One College – Twice the Opportunities.
Sincerely,
Yaw D. Yeboah