Ronald L. Sack, director of the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma, has been named dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, President Carol C. Harter announced today.
Sack, whose appointment is effective July 1, brings to the position extensive background in research and teaching. On leave from Oklahoma from 1996 to 1999, he served as director of the Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems within the National Science Foundation, where he oversaw an annual budget of about $60 million and worked to establish three earthquake engineering research centers and an institute for the study of civil infrastructure systems. Integration of research and education was a key initiative during his tenure at NSF.
"Dr. Sack's ability to help faculty obtain research funding while they also excel in teaching is one of the many strengths that make him a good fit for UNLV," Harter said."He believes, as I do, that we must prepare students for an active professional life in the 21st century, and that participating in research helps stimulate student learning."
Sack will be only the second dean of the College of Engineering. He will succeed founding Dean William R. Wells, who will return to teaching and other projects.
Sack received his B.S., M.S.C.E., and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota. He taught at Clemson University and the University of Idaho before going to the University of Oklahoma in 1988. He also taught part-time at the University of Washington while working as a research engineer for the Boeing Co.
In 1998 he was part of an NSF delegation to China, one of several international experiences. He has worked extensively with the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology which accredits the UNLV engineering program, and is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, among other professional organizations. He is the author of Matrix Structural Analysis,and has a number of other publications, grants and awards for his research on the load that structures such as bridges and roofs can carry.
