Michael Decelle will assume leadership of the Manchester campus at the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 22, 2016, replacing J. Michael Hickey who has served in an interim role for the last two years. Decelle is currently president and CEO of CrossFiber, a venture-funded startup company in San Diego, and has served in a number of executive leadership roles throughout the technology industry.
“The faculty and staff at UNH Manchester, under the able leadership of Interim Dean Hickey, have made extraordinary progress in developing programs and building partnerships with the local community, schools, community colleges and NH businesses,” said P.T. Vasudevan, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “I am delighted that Mike Decelle has agreed to serve as the next dean. A UNH alumnus, Mike is an experienced engineer and entrepreneur with leadership skills that uniquely position him for this role, skills that will be invaluable in addressing New Hampshire’s workforce needs and enable our students to make valuable contributions to the economic future of the state. I am very pleased that Mike recognizes the value of a liberal arts education for our graduates to be successful in their chosen careers.”
Decelle graduated from UNH in 1981 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering, and was recruited on campus by Bell Laboratories and accepted into their master’s track program, earning a master’s in electrical engineering from Cornell. He also completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University. Decelle worked at Bell and, after its spinoff from AT&T, at Lucent Technologies for 17 years. Since then he has led five venture-funded technology companies, three of which were university spinoffs. During his tenure at Sun Catalytix, Decelle established the company’s reputation as an emerging leader in energy storage technology and systems, and developed relationships with strategic partners that led to Lockheed Martin acquiring the company in 2014.
A New Hampshire native, Decelle brings leadership experience in both large and small organizations as well as strengths in strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, and relationship building.
“The campus’ diverse mission of serving the needs of commuter and part-time students while promoting regional economic development in an urban setting is of particular interest to me,” said Decelle. “My industrial experience informs my ability to identify and develop the curricula that will be most responsive to our mission and include the core liberal arts programs that provide a broader, balanced perspective on the role of business and industry in their communities. Successful companies and top universities have much in common, with their ultimate success being highly dependent on the degree to which their leaders foster creativity, transparency, open communication, and consensus-building. These are traits I value highly and have sought to demonstrate during my career, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the students in Manchester.”
Vasudevan thanked the search committee, led by Patricia Halpin, assistant professor of biological science, and Ken La Valley, dean and director of Cooperative Extension, for its work to bring Decelle to campus.
UNH Manchester was established in 1985 as the sixth college of the University of New Hampshire and is considered the university’s urban campus. With an exemplary professional staff and a faculty dedicated to excellence in teaching and scholarship, UNH Manchester has a distinctive urban mission that emphasizes experiential learning and community engagement.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 13,000 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students.
