AMES, Iowa -- Mark J. Kushner, dean of the College of Engineering at Iowa State University, has resigned to join the faculty at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, effective Sept. 1.
Kushner will become Collegiate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and founding director of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering.
Kushner, who in addition to serving as engineering dean also was the inaugural James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Professor, joined Iowa State on Jan. 1, 2005. Since that time, Kushner has focused the college on developing engineers who can be leaders in public policy and solvers of some of the planet's biggest problems. Under Kushner's leadership, the College of Engineering established the Engineering Policy and Leadership Institute to prepare engineers for leadership roles in a high-tech world. And the college established the "2050 Challenge" that focuses its research and education on addressing high-impact problems that threaten the quality of life in 2050, including climate change, crumbling infrastructure and sustainable manufacturing and agriculture systems.
"The College of Engineering has made excellent progress in all areas under Dean Kushner's leadership, including national rankings, recruitment of outstanding faculty, enrollment and research achievements," said Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy. "I am grateful for Mark's tremendous service to Iowa State and to engineering education, and I wish him the very best in his new position."
"Dean Kushner's accomplishments include challenging the college to hire cross-disciplinary faculty and to develop interdisciplinary centers and institutes to support his 2050 Challenge. He is currently challenging faculty to compete successfully for a Science and Technology Center. These efforts have significantly raised the academic profile of the college," said Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Hoffman.
Prior to joining Iowa State, Kushner held various administrative and faculty engineering positions at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also had industrial experience as a physicist and research scientist at national laboratories.
Kushner plans to leave Iowa State later this summer. Executive Vice President and Provost Hoffman will appoint an interim dean to head the College of Engineering while a search is conducted for a new permanent dean.
