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Innovations

College of Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Magazine

Advisory Council Message

Walter Downing, P.E.

Advisory Council Chairman
Walter D. Downing, P.E.
Executive Vice President, Southwest Research Institute

On behalf of the UTSA College of Engineering Advisory Council, it is my pleasure to write this message to the readers of Innovations magazine and to announce several changes that have taken place over the last six months.

Sam Dawson, the former Chair of the Advisory Committee led the council with distinction over the past five years, and I am happy to say that Sam will continue to serve on the UTSA College of Engineering Advisory Council, as well as, chair the Engineering Advisory Council at his alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin. I would like to formally thank Sam for his vision and leadership of the council and look forward to his continued support as we strive to move UTSA and the College of Engineering to Tier One status.

Another noteworthy change is Dr. Mauli Agrawal’s selection as interim vice president for research at UTSA after serving as dean of the College of Engineering for nearly eight years. Under Agrawal’s leadership, the college’s annual research expenditures increased dramatically from $1 million to $14 million. Additionally, he recruited faculty from top universities around the world, and student enrollment grew by more than 50 percent, putting UTSA on the map as the fastest-growing engineering program in the state. Agrawal will remain a faculty member in the College of Engineering, continuing to teach and conduct research. I would like to thank Dr. Agrawal for his energetic and inspired leadership of the college and look forward to continuing to work with him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mehdi Shadaram, College of Engineering associate dean for Student Affairs and Policies, became the interim dean of the College of Engineering. Shadaram holds the Briscoe Distinguished Professor position in electrical and computer engineering and serves as founding director of the Center for Excellence in Engineering Education (CE3). Under his leadership, the college has established successful partnerships with area schools to improve science and math education and increased community outreach has been an ever present goal.

I am delighted to report a committee has been organized to search for a permanent dean of the College of Engineering. The search committee, led by Dr. George Perry, dean of the UTSA College of Sciences, plans to have the new dean selected by April 2014.

It is clear that change continues to be a dominant theme at UTSA. Now is the time to ensure it is change for the better. All of us on the College of Engineering Advisory Council are committed to do our part to make this happen, and we call upon you to join us in building an even better future for the College of Engineering.

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