UCCS selects new engineering leadership from faculty

A 23-year veteran of the faculty at UCCS is the new dean of the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Peg Bacon, provost, announced the selection of R. “Dan” Dandapani as dean of engineering Tuesday following a national search. His appointment is effective July 1, 2009.

“Dr. Dandapani is the right person to lead the College of Engineering and Applied Science during this time of great challenges,” Bacon said. “His perspective that challenges are opportunities is one that will lead to future success for the college, for the university, and for the greater Colorado Springs region.”

Since July 2008, Dandapani has served as interim dean. He previously served as associate dean. For eight years, he served as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined the faculty in 1986 as professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Prior to joining the UCCS faculty, Dandapani was a member of the faculty at Youngstown (Ohio) State University and was a visiting faculty member at the Royal Melbourne (Australia) Institute of Technology, the University of Iowa, Stanford University, the University of Newcastle (Australia) and the University of Illinois. He also has widespread experience in the computer industry including work with Ford Motor Company, Sun Microsystems, United Technologies and Digital Equipment Corp.

“I feel privileged to be the dean of our college with outstanding faculty and staff,” Dandapani said. “I am excited to lead the college in providing quality education, encouraging young people to consider careers in engineering, and conducting cutting-edge research that has a local focus and global impact,”

His awards include a special chancellor’s award for his role in directing a National Science Olympiad, a patent incentive award from Ford, outstanding teaching awards, and awards from Motorola Corporation and the Region 5 Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE.

He earned master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Iowa and bachelor’s degrees from Nagpur (India) University and the Indian Institute of Science.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science incorporates the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The college offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. This fall, there were 759 undergraduate engineering or pre-engineering students and 201 graduate students enrolled. U.S. News and World Report ranks the UCCS undergraduate engineering program in the top 10 in the nation among public universities that primarily offer bachelor and master’s degrees. Additionally, the college has been recognized as a leader in the graduation of women engineers.