Vijay Dhir named dean of engineering

After a nearly two-year search to fill the vacancy for the Dean
of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the
chancellor appointed Vijay Dhir ““ the current interim dean
““ to the position.

Dhir, who will officially take his new post on March 1 pending
the approval of the UC Regents, has been at UCLA since he joined
the faculty in 1974.

In a letter to UCLA administrators, Chancellor Albert Carnesale
wrote, “We are confident that under his leadership the School
will continue to rise in performance and stature for many years to
come.”

But rising in stature with the current economic difficulties
will not be easy.

Dhir will step on as the permanent dean when enrollment at the
engineering school is growing while the amount of money being spent
per student is decreasing.

In addition, the school has fallen in ranking from the top 20,
according to the U.S News & World Report engineering schools
rankings.

“I don’t think the quality of faculty or students
has diminished, and we are leaders in pioneering research”
said Dhir, pointing to the recent election of three faculty members
to the National Academy of Engineering.

But Dhir also knows that the engineering department will face
its share of budget cuts.

Dealing with the increase in student enrollment during a harsh
financial season will be one of his greatest challenges, he
said.

In order to mitigate the effects of the cuts, Dhir said the
school will “very reluctantly” have to raise student
fees, with the funds going toward computer and lab equipment.

“We have no other option,” he said.

Enrollment growth is also going to be a serious challenge, he
said.

To conserve resources, Dhir plans to fill classes to their
capacity by offering unpopular classes less frequently. This would
increase the enrollment in these classes when they are offered.

Dhir, who attributes the fall in ranking to the school’s
lack of visibility, said outreach to alumni and other people
outside the campus is integral to dealing with the current
budgetary difficulties.

Though the school receives the majority of its funds from
extramural funding, which includes funding for research as well as
private and state agencies, alumni are vital to the growth of the
university.

Dhir’s predecessor, Frank Wazzan, received a $30 million
donation from Henry Samueli, the school’s current
namesake.

Dhir has already received an undisclosed amount from donors, but
said matching Wazzan’s amount will be a challenge, adding he
has not been as successful as Wazzan in garnering alumni
support.

Keeping alumni in touch with the main campus through online
bulletins and showcasing the school’s research to them are
key in receiving their support and increasing the school’s
visibility, he said.

These measures have already succeeded in raising the
school’s profile, according to Kristen Wicks, the assistant
director of annual giving and alumni relations at the School of
Engineering

There has already been a twofold increase in alumni involvement
at the school since last year, in terms of the amount of time they
volunteer, she said.

In addition to dealing with budgetary concerns, Dhir also wants
to make the school more interdisciplinary by reviewing the
curricula for undergraduate and graduate courses.

The sciences are changing and the future will require students
to have more involvement in other departments, he said, citing the
wide interdisciplinary scope of the new Department of
Bioengineering and the burgeoning California NanoSystems Institute
at UCLA.

By giving students a broader education, while keeping them
focused in a single discipline, Dhir said he hopes they will be
able to tackle problems that are outside their traditional fields
““ something they inevitably will have to do with the changing
nature of science and technology.