Announcing the Appointment of Keith Bowman as Dean of COEIT

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 14:10:12 -0400

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Keith Bowman as Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Dr. Bowman will begin his new role in August 2017.

Dr. Bowman’s appointment brings to a successful conclusion a national search that began earlier this year. On behalf of the entire campus community, I would like to express my gratitude for the hard work and commitment of all members of the search committee, chaired by Dr. Mark Marten. The committee's wise counsel and thoughtful participation in the search process represents an outstanding contribution to the future of the College and to the advancement of our UMBC community.

Dr. Bowman joins UMBC from his current role as dean of the College of Science and Engineering at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Prior to his appointment at SFSU, Dr. Bowman served as the Duchossois leadership professor and chair of the mechanical, materials, and aerospace engineering department at the Illinois Institute of Technology and as head of Purdue University’s School of Materials Engineering. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at Purdue University after receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan. He served as visiting professor and Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany and as visiting professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

In addition to his extensive experience in academic leadership, Dr. Bowman brings to UMBC an outstanding record in materials science research and engineering education. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society in 2000 and has taken an active role in leadership of the society. He has been a principal investigator or co-investigator for nearly $20 million in research awards and sponsored contracts; has advised and co-advised more than 40 graduate and Ph.D. students; and is the author or co-author of over 180 publications. In 2004, he published a textbook entitled “An Introduction to Mechanical Behavior of Materials.”

Outside of materials science research, he has worked on assessment approaches for engineering education and studied trends for gender, racial, and ethnic inclusion across the engineering disciplines. He currently serves as principal investigator for the NSF funded project, “San Francisco: Computing for all Levels and Learners,” created to enhance the inclusion of underrepresented students in engineering and science. The project is a partnership between SFSU, the San Francisco Unified School District, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Bowman also has been recognized as an outstanding educator and mentor. He has received Purdue University's Charles B. Murphy Undergraduate Teaching Award, the institution's most prestigious honor for teaching, and was the first professor of materials engineering at the university to receive a courtesy appointment as professor of engineering education. In 2003, Dr. Bowman’s name was added to the Purdue University Book of Great Teachers, and he was honored with Purdue University’s College of Engineering Mentoring Award for his support of early career faculty and graduate students.

UMBC is very fortunate to have someone of Dr. Bowman’s impressive experience, abilities, and talent to serve as dean of UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology.

Please join me in welcoming and supporting Dr. Bowman as he transitions into his new role at UMBC.

Provost Philip Rous