Matt RubinMary J. Sansalone, Ph.D., named Washington University’s new dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, was welcomed at a reception held in Lopata Gallery Monday evening. Sansalone succeeds Christopher I. Byrnes, Ph.D., to become the school’s ninth dean since 1870.
The Chancellor selected Sansalone from a group of “several outstanding candidates” put forward by an advisory committee chaired by Jon Turner. Sansalone, an alumna and current professor of structural engineering at Cornell University, will officially begin her appointment on July 1, 2006.
Over her professional career, Sansalone has involved herself at all levels of higher education, from research to teaching and advising Cornell students, to serving as New York University’s vice president of planning during the 2002-03 academic year.
As dean, Sansalone will oversee approximately 1,100 undergraduates, 750 graduates, 89 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 60 research faculty, and 150 adjunct faculty. This is a responsibility Chancellor Mark Wrighton believes Sansalone’s comprehensive background is well-equipped to handle.
“Mary Sansalone offers a fresh perspective, helping us to understand what’s going on at other leading universities. She brings energy and vision. She will support us in sustaining and enhancing a great School of Engineering and Applied Science,” said Wrighton.
Although Sansalone admits that there is still a lot for her to learn about the University., she remains excited for the transition.
“[The University] has a wonderful momentum and sense of purpose. There is tremendous good will and support coming from all corners of this university,” said Sansalone. “People are reaching out from every direction to connect with and to help engineering move forward.”
While the University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science is comparatively small, Sansalone emphasized that its potential is “much more than its size might otherwise suggest.” She believes that this potential only “requires a willingness to see and seize opportunities” which lie at the interfaces between engineering and other disciplines.
“Some of today’s important needs are energy, environment, security and hazard mitigation,” said Sansalone. “The challenging problems in these areas offer opportunities to every discipline of engineering, and yet finding solutions to these problems often requires collaboration with other disciplines.”
Specifically addressing the interests of undergraduates, Sansalone said she is committed to increasing the flexibility of the undergraduate engineering curriculum – a request made by current students. Sansalone believes this request is particularly “timely,” given recent data, which shows that engineering education is negatively associated with writing ability, cultural awareness, foreign language skills and civic participation.
“In the upcoming planning process, I look forward to working with all of you to consider all of these issues and to develop an intellectually and programmatic plan that builds on your strengths, focuses investment in areas important for the future and takes a fresh look at all of your degree programs,” said Sansalone.