Karwan Stepping Down as Dean of Engineering School

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Mark H. Karwan, Ph.D., has announced that he is stepping down as dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and returning to the faculty of the school as a researcher and teacher.

Karwan, who has been in the position for 12 years, has indicated he will continue as dean until a successor is in place.

In announcing Karwan's plans, Satish K. Tripathi, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said a national search will be conducted to identify his successor with the goal of having a new dean in place at the start of the fall 2006 semester.

"I know that President John B. Simpson joins me in thanking Dean Karwan for his many contributions to the school and to the university," Tripathi said.

"From the beginning of our own administrative roles at UB, both President Simpson and I have appreciated and benefited from Dean Karwan's leadership and counsel.  He has been instrumental in the many successes of the school and is truly a great citizen of our university.  We will miss his leadership as dean and will look forward to continuing to benefit from his sage counsel and perspective as he resumes his faculty role."

Tripathi noted that during his tenure as dean, Karwan "created and expanded a number of new and existing research centers.  A testament to the success of these centers, the school experienced substantial growth in research expenditures over the past decade."

He said that Karwan is "known across the campus as an undergraduate education innovator." Tripathi singled out the "Student Excellence Initiative" of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, noting that it has resulted in "increased selectivity of SEAS's undergraduate students, as well as the school's significant advances in student retention.

"Dr. Karwan has also been integral in building substantial university/industry partnerships," Tripathi added. "Under his leadership, the school's corporate outreach and economic development programs have increased dramatically and today reach over 175 companies per year. 

"A tireless fundraiser, Dean Karwan established the SEAS Dean's Advisory Council, contributing to the school's very successful comprehensive campaign and ultimately to the success of UB's "Generation to Generation" campaign, the most extensive capital-raising campaign in university history.

Kenneth A. Manning, chair of the SEAS Dean's Advisory Council and a partner with the law firm Phillips Lytle LLP, praised Karwan and his accomplishments as dean.

"The members of the Dean's Advisory Council have appreciated the opportunity to serve Dean Mark Karwan and to support his many initiatives to promote and enhance the quality of the teaching and research at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences," Manning said.

"The success of Dean Karwan's initiatives reflects his commitment to both excellence and hard work, as well as his willingness to consider ideas presented from both public and private sectors."

Karwan was named dean of SEAS in August 1996 after serving two years as dean on an interim basis. The UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is the most comprehensive school of engineering in the State University of New York system.