From Dean Williams: Unprecedented faculty growth

Over the next five years The Ohio State College of Engineering will grow to almost 350 tenure-track faculty, a 20 percent increase over our current numbers.

In 2015 and 2016, we recruited more than 70 new faculty members, and I’m proud to note that our latest cohort is our most inclusive ever, with women, African Americans and other diverse faculty accounting for 54 percent of the hires. This achievement greatly supports our goal of growing a robust, diverse and integrated community within our college.

These positive trends will continue in 2017 as we prepare to recruit 50 new faculty, including 26 assistant professors, 13 associate professors and 11 full professorships, three of which are endowed chairs. More than 20 of these searches will be supported by the university’s Discovery Themes program—an initiative which leverages Ohio State’s special strengths to address the technological, social and environmental stresses that define our world today.

Over the next 10 years, investment focused on Ohio State Discovery Themes (Health and Wellness, Energy and Environment, and Food Production and Security) will attract new tenured/tenure-track faculty working in these areas.

Preparing the next generation of leaders in engineering and architecture requires top-notch educators, which is why we have continued to prioritize investing in our faculty. As our student enrollment continues to climb, our number of faculty must also increase if we want to successfully recruit, retain, educate and graduate the university's finest and most highly-qualified student body.

We also aim to sustain research programs that are high impact and relevant to the technological needs of our society. Our recruiting classes over the past two years have been infused with talent and expertise to address the technological challenges of our time—advanced mobility, agile manufacturing and advanced materials, data analytics, and engineering for human health.

Our future here at the College of Engineering is amazingly bright and there are many reasons to be proud of our institution, but I think what I’m most proud of is the quality of our people—our students, staff and faculty, and a supportive culture that fosters discovery, learning and engagement. I look forward to seeing what more we can accomplish together in the years ahead.​

David B. Williams
Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean's Chair
Dean of the College of Engineering
Executive Dean of the Professional Colleges