UNH announces next dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Mechanical engineer from University of Utah to start in August

By Bob Emro, CEPS
 
Joseph C. Klewicki has been named the next dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Joseph C. Klewicki

Currently the chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, Klewicki will officially start Aug. 15. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Klewicki,” UNH President Ann Weaver Hart said. “His focus on education, commitment to service and record of interdisciplinary research make him a great fit for the college and the university.”
 
Undergraduate research has long been a hallmark of a UNH education — CEPS students and world-class faculty are engaged in discovery in areas as diverse as nanotechnology, space science and bridge design — and Klewicki plans to expand on that strength. “One of my primary goals will be to create an environment that better fosters the fullest potential from each faculty member and student,” said Klewicki. “Central to this will be promoting a more comprehensive integration of research into the overall educational mission of the college.”
 
A recognized expert in fluid mechanics and boundary layer turbulence, Klewicki was chosen after a rigorous national search.

“His work is intensely collaborative and interdisciplinary,” said Bruce Mallory, UNH provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “He is a strong advocate for teaching excellence, undergraduate involvement in research, expanded opportunities for graduate students, and the role of science and engineering as means to ‘address fundamental altruistic concerns relating to the quality of life and the future of our society and culture’ as he put it in his letter of application.” 
 
While CEPS is in the midst of an exciting period of expansion, with several new research initiatives, collaborations with industry increasing, and a modernization plan for all four of the college’s buildings underway, it is also a time of significant challenges. 
 
“Dr. Klewicki agreed to come to UNH because he sees the opportunity to assure the success of CEPS as it addresses academic, capital and financial challenges,” Mallory said. “He believes that the outstanding faculty, new facilities and growing connections to regional high-technology companies all can assure a first class education for the science and engineering majors in the college.”
 
Klewicki has been at Utah for nearly 15 years, the last four as chair of his department. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1989, a master's from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985 and a bachelor's from MSU in 1983. While at Utah he received a number of department and college awards for teaching. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and recently received a distinguished alumnus award from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State.
 
Klewicki and his wife, Cindy, have three children: Brian, Maureen, and Chase. Klewicki enjoys running, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and basketball.