Four finalists have been selected to interview for the position of senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, and a schedule for public presentations at receptions has been set.
The candidates are Suzanne Ortega, provost and executive vice president at University of New Mexico; David Rosowsky, dean of engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dennis Savaiano, associate provost at Purdue University; and Gregory Washington, interim dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University.
Biographies and event information for the candidates' receptions follows.
Gregory Washington is on campus Nov. 22-24 and will make a presentation 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 23 at Sheldon Museum of Art. Washington is currently the interim dean for the College of Engineering at Ohio State. He previously served as associate dean for research for the college of engineering and the interim director of the OSU Institute of Energy and Environment. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate, all in mechanical engineering, at North Carolina State University. His core area of interest is in the area of dynamic systems, modeling and control of smart material systems.
Dennis Savaiano will visit campus Nov. 29-Dec. 1 and will make a presentation 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Savaiano is associate provost and professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University. He previously was dean of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue from 1995 to 2010. Savaiano earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Claremont McKenna College and master's and doctoral degrees in nutrition from the University of California at Davis. He was a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota from 1980 through 1995. His research interest is in the area of lactose intolerance.
David Rosowsky will visit campus Dec. 1-3 and will make a presentation 3:30-5 p.m. Dec. 2 at Sheldon Museum of Art. Rosowsky is the dean of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to coming to Rensselaer, Rosowsky served as head of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he also held the A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair in Civil Engineering. Previous posts included professorships at Oregon State and Clemson, Johns Hopkins and Purdue universities. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering at Tufts University, and his Ph.D in civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is an expert in the field of structural reliability.
Suzanne Trager Ortega is on campus Dec. 6-8 and will make a presentation 3:30-5 p.m. Dec. 6 at Sheldon Museum of Art. Ortega was appointed as the executive vice president and provost of the University of New Mexico in August 2008. Prior to her appointment at the University of New Mexico, she served for three years as vice provost and graduate dean at the University of Washington. Ortega's master's and doctoral degrees in sociology were completed at Vanderbilt University. She served as assistant/associate graduate dean from 1994-2000 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and as vice provost for advanced studies and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri from 2000-2005. Her primary research interest is in mental health epidemiology, health services and race and ethnic relations.
Ellen Weissinger has been serving as interim senior vice chancellor since Dec. 21, 2009, following the departure of former vice chancellor Barbara Couture, who left in November 2009 for New Mexico State University where she became president. The Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is responsible for the administration, coordination and development of all UNL academic activities and functions. It provides academic leadership for UNL programs and works in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Kelly Bartling