This Is an Exciting Time to Be at Stevens

It is an honor and distinct pleasure to join Stevens Institute of Technology as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.Dr. Jianmin Qu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

I was drawn here by the university’s long history of achievements in engineering, science, business, and the humanities and social sciences; its groundbreaking interdisciplinary programs; and its commitment to entrepreneurial success.

But I also was attracted by Stevens’ tremendous potential. The Stevens community is innovative in spirit and focused on making a difference through the application of scholarship and technology to the most pressing problems facing society. Now more than ever, we must offer the world thoughtful solutions that have broad societal benefits and produce graduates who can become insightful leaders in their chosen fields.

I am especially honored to have been selected to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Stevens’ distinguished faculty as the university’s academic leader. And I am grateful to our most recent provost, Christophe Pierre, who worked diligently for the past five years, under often difficult circumstances, to build a strong and professional academic enterprise that is well-positioned for continued success.

This is an exciting time to be at Stevens. The tremendous success of the just-concluded capital campaign, The Power of Stevens, is a testament to the strength of the Stevens community. This capital campaign will leave its mark on Stevens for years to come, enabling us to create and renovate academic, research and student facilities; recruit and retain exceptional faculty; and launch new initiatives to empower student success and strengthen our research enterprise.

We are also on the cusp of developing the university’s next strategic plan and I look forward to playing a role in this planning. The 2012-2022 plan, The Future. Ours to Create., strengthened the university's financial foundation, increased its endowment, bolstered the academic profile of the faculty and students, and generated numerous initiatives that have lifted the university's stature.

Thanks to these efforts, Stevens is well on its way to reaching its overarching goal of becoming a premier, student-centric technological research university. I pledge to work with the academic and administrative leadership and the Faculty Senate in advancing our academic mission. I pledge to seek out the perspectives of all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other members of our community as we move forward. I also pledge to harness the diversity of our campus; we are enriched by the talents and contributions of each member of the Stevens community.

With the entire team in the Office of the Provost, I look forward to working with our deans, department and faculty leaders to empower all members of the academic community to reach their potential.

I look forward to meeting all of you in the coming weeks.