‘Gold’ Honors for Sustainability Efforts  

Stevens has received a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for a second time. Based on self-reporting, STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures a university’s sustainability in five areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.  

Among Stevens’ many sustainability efforts: a senior design project that is developing a “green” ferry for the Galapagos Inter-Island Transport with ESPOL University in Ecuador, and development of a sustainability management plan for West Orange, New Jersey, by master’s degree students in the university’s Sustainability Management program. 

Aimee and Michael Kakos M.M.S. ’71

Boosting Academic Excellence  

Stevens recently received generous gifts for faculty support and for an endowed student scholarship.

Aimee and Michael Kakos M.M.S. ’71 are supporting an endowed professorship that will enable Stevens to recruit an outstanding faculty member and empower them with resources they need to expand the scope and impact of their work. 

Tom and Rebecca Richardson

Tom Richardson, the grandson of Randolph T. Ode (Class of 1898), has established the Thomas Ode Richardson Endowed Faculty Fellowship to support the work of a professor who has made exceptional research achievements. The first recipient is Ying Wang, associate professor of systems and enterprises.  

In addition, the Randolph T. Ode Endowed Scholarship, established by Richardson to honor his grandfather, has been awarded to Robert Doumazios, a quantitative finance major, and Phoebe Kershenblatt, a mathematics major. 

Stevens History at Your Fingertips  

If you’ve ever yearned to peruse a 19th-century issue of the Indicator from the comfort of your own home, now’s your chance! The Samuel C. Williams Library Archives & Special Collections has digitized several collections spanning almost 150 years of Stevens history.  

You can find issues of the Indicator — as well as The Stute student newspaper and the Link, Eccentric and Bolt yearbooks — dating from 1874 through 2000. The digitization project not only expands access to these resources but also ensures their long-term preservation, as paper-based collections are susceptible to damage from physical handling and elements like light and humidity. 

Business Dean Prastacos Leaves Record of Success 

Longtime Stevens School of Business Dean Gregory Prastacos will step down in August, after an extraordinary record of success since he joined the university in 2012. He will continue to teach in the school.  

Once a narrowly focused school of technology management, the school expanded and became an accredited business school under Prastacos’ leadership and is now ranked among the top 100 business schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The School of Business earned accreditation from AACSB International, an achievement accomplished by less than 5% of business schools worldwide.  

During Prastacos’ tenure, the School of Business has experienced significant growth in enrollment, faculty size and program offerings, while its students have enjoyed strong career outcomes. For the undergraduate Class of 2023, 99 percent of students obtained employment or continued their education within six months of graduation, earning an average starting salary of $86,000.   

“Gregory will leave big shoes to fill,” says Stevens President Nariman Farvardin. “The School of Business — and Stevens — is a significantly better place, in both substance and in reputation, due to his leadership and impact.”   

A nationwide search for a new dean was being conducted at press time.