John L. Anderson, who has served as dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering where he is also a professor of chemical engineering, will join Case Western Reserve University April 1 as provost and university vice president.

"Dr. Anderson is an incredible addition to the leadership team at Case," said university President Edward M. Hundert, M.D. "His national leadership in building a diverse faculty who excel in education, research and service; his development of a national alumni network; and his down-to-earth, consensus-building style will accelerate the achievement of Case's vision of creating the most powerful learning environment in the world."

Hundert formed a search committee in September to help select a new provost following James W. Wagner's appointment to president of Emory University in Atlanta.

"I will work side-by-side with Dr. Anderson in a unique partnership that maximizes our collective abilities to empower a transformative university community," Hundert said.

"I would like to thank the search committee for such a highly successful national search and especially thank Dr. Lynn Singer for her service as interim provost during this important time in our university's history."

Anderson, who is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware, and his master's and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, where he was a National Institutes of Health pre-doctoral fellow.

"I have watched Case emerge over the years as one of the nation's premier research institutions," Anderson said. "Under Dr. Hundert's leadership, Case is setting a new standard for education, scholarship and societal contribution. I look forward to partnering with Dr. Hundert and the faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Case."

In 1996, Carnegie Mellon named Anderson dean of its College of Engineering. He also holds the Robert Mehrabian Professorship at Carnegie Mellon.

From 1980 to 1985, he was director of biomedical engineering and from 1983 to 1994 he was head of the chemical engineering department. He was named a university professor in 1994.

Anderson served on the faculty of Cornell University for five years before joining Carnegie Mellon in 1976.

Accomplishments during his tenure as dean of the College of Engineering include a national focus on diversity with 30 percent of faculty hired in the past five years being women and minority engineers, establishment of the department of biomedical engineering and the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, an increase in the number of endowed chairs in engineering from five to 29, expansion of the national alumni network, a streamlining of the budget process within the college and significant improvements in teaching and research facilities.

Return to the online edition of the 1-15-04 Campus News.