Past Deans of the College
DelosM.Palmer,1934-1943
DelosM.Palmerproposedthefirstengineeringcurriculumatthe
UniversityofToledo.PalmerwasbornonJune23,1897inMonroe
Country,Michigan.HeattendedtheJuniorCollegeattheUniversityof
ToledowherehewentontoearnaBachelorofSciencedegreein
electricalengineeringin1919.Heearnedamaster’sdegreeinphysics
fromtheUniversityofMichigan.PalmerbeganhisUTcareerasan
assistantprofessorofphysicsandmechanicalengineeringin1926.He
becamechairmanoftheengineeringprogramwhenrenovationstothe
universitycampuswerecompletedin1931.In1933,UniversityPresident
HenryDoermannapprovedPalmer’sproposalforafour-year
engineeringcurriculumandappointedPalmerasActingDeanofthe
CollegeofEngineeringin1934.Duringhis9yearsasdean,Palmertaughtcoursessuchas
Thermodynamics,FluidMechanics,andMetallography,anddirectedtheCivilianPilotTraining
Program.AgeneralengineeringcurriculumwasABETaccreditedin1942,justbeforehisresignation
oneyearlater.Hepursuedacareerinindustrybeforehisdeathin1976.
JohnB.Brandeberry,1943-1953
JohnBrandeberryearnedabachelor’sdegreefromMountUnion,a
master’sdegreefromTheOhioStateUniversity,andaPh.D.fromthe
UniversityofMichigan.BrandeberryjoinedtheUTfacultyin1915asa
professorandchairmanoftheDepartmentofMathematics.Heservedthe
Universityasthefirstheadfootballcoach,presidentoftheMid-American
Conference,andchairoftheInterimOperatingCommittee.Asdeanofthe
College,Brandeberrypushedtodevelopanewengineeringprogramto
supportrapidincreaseinenrollment.Theaccreditationofnew
departmentaldegreeprogramsinengineeringbroughtsuccesstothe
CollegeuntilBrandeberry’sunexpecteddeathin1953.Hewas59yearsof
age.
W.ShermanSmith,1953-1955
W.ShermanSmithwasnamedinterimdeanin1953afterthesudden
deathofJohnBrandeberry,andheserveduntil1955.Smithreceivedhis
bachelor’sdegreeincivilengineeringfromPurdueUniversity,andhis
master’sdegreefromTheUniversityoftheCityofToledo.Priortohis
yearsasdean,hewasaprofessorintheCivilEngineeringDepartmentand
AssistantDeantotheCollegeofEngineering.
EdwinD.Harrison,1955-1957
EdwinD.HarrisonwasbornonJanuary8,1916.HeattendedtheU.S.
NavalAcademyin1939,andservedintheNavyuntil1945.Heearneda
master’sdegreeinmechanicalengineeringfromtheVirginiaPolytechnic
Institutein1948,andaPh.D.inmechanicalengineeringfromPurdue
Universityin1952.Harrisonwasappointedasdeanin1955,andservedfor
twoyearsbeforehewasselectedtobePresidentoftheGeorgiaInstitute
ofTechnology.HediedonOctober23,2001attheageof85.
OttoF.Zmeskal,1957-1970
OttoZmeskalsucceededEdwinHarrisonasDeanoftheCollegeof
Engineeringin1957.PriortohisappointmentatUT,Zmeskalwasa
researchprofessorattheUniversityofFlorida.Heheldadoctoraldegree
inphysicalmetallurgyfromtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.
Zmeskalwasknownforbeingenthusiasticabouta“universityhighschool
ofscience,”thestartofacampaignforbuildingandequipmentupgrades
attheCollege.Inadditiontobringingallengineeringclassesand
laboratoriestogetherinanewEngineering-ScienceBuilding,Zmeskallaid
thegroundworkforadoctoralprograminengineering.Hewasalso
responsibleforpromotingopportunitiesforwomeninengineering.
JamesB.Farison,1970-1980
FarisonwasnamedDeanofthecollegeattheyoungageof33.Hereceived
aBachelorofSciencedegreeinelectricalengineeringfromUTin1960,
wherehegraduatedsumacumlaude.Hewentontoearnamaster’sand
doctoraldegreefromStanfordUniversity.Asdean,Farisonoversawthe
approvalofanengineeringPh.D.programandBSprogramsinEngineering
TechnologyandComputerScienceandEngineering.Farisonsteppeddown
in1980andcontinuedhiscareeratUTasafacultymember.Heiscurrently
theChairoftheDepartmentofEngineeringattheSchoolofEngineering
andComputerScienceatBaylorUniversityinWaco,Texas.
LeslieE.Lahti,1980-1988
LeslieLahtiearnedaBachelorofSciencedegreeinchemicalengineering
fromTri-State,amaster’sdegreefromMichiganState,andaPh.D.from
Carnegie-MellonUniversitywherehewasafellowfortheFord
Foundation.HeoversawaperiodofgreatgrowthfortheCollege,
particularlyintheDepartmentofEngineeringTechnology.Atthistime,
studentswithassociate’sdegreescouldtransferintotheprogramto
completeabachelor’sdegree.AlsounderLahti’sleadership,thenumber
offacultydoubledfrom45to90,andexternalfundingofresearch
increasedfrom$250,000to$3million.HeretiredinMarchof1988.
EdwardLumsdaine,1988-1993
EdwardLumsdainewasappointedasDeanafterLeslieLahti’sretirement
in1988.LumsdaineservedastheDeanofEngineeringattheUniversityof
Michigan-DearbornforsixyearspriortohisappointmentatUT.He
steppeddownin1993totakeapositionasdeanatMichigan
TechnologicalUniversity.Heiscurrentlyaprofessorofmechanical
engineeringatMichiganTechnologicalUniversityandanhonorary
professorofbusinessattheUniversityofNottingham(UK).
BruceK.Poling,1993-1994
BrucePolingreceivedhisbachelor’sandmaster’sdegreesinchemical
engineeringfromTheOhioStateUniversity,andheearnedhisdoctoral
degreefromtheUniversityofIllinois.Polingservedaschairofthe
ChemicalEngineeringDepartmentbeforehisappointmentasInterim
Deanin1993,followingtheresignationofEdwardLumsdaine.Heis
currentlyProfessorEmeritusintheUTDepartmentofChemicaland
EnvironmentalEngineering.
VikramJ.Kapoor,1994-1998
PriortoservingasDeanoftheCollegeofEngineering,VikramKapoor
taughtelectricalengineeringatCaseWesternReserveUniversityand
servedasHeadofElectricalandComputerEngineeringattheUniversity
ofCincinnati.Underhisleadership,thenewengineeringcampusand
NitschkeAuditoriumwerecompleted.Kapoorwasprimarilyresponsible
forestablishingtheco-opprograminwhichengineeringstudentswere
requiredtoworkasfull-timeemployeesinengineering-relatedpositions,
alternatingwithsemestersofcoursework.Heisalsocreditedforthe
creationoftheEngineeringCollegeComputingoffice,installationof
numerousstate-of-the-artcomputerlaboratories,themergerofthe
MechanicalEngineeringandIndustrialEngineeringDepartments
(currentlyMIME),andtheapprovalofanewBioengineeringmajor.
Kapoorsteppeddownin1999whenhewasnamedthe14thpresidentof
theUniversityofToledo.
PhillipR.White,1999
PhillipWhitewasappointedinterimdeanin1999aftertheresignationof
VikramKapoor.Priortothisappointment,Whitewasaprofessorofthe
Mechanical,Industrial,andManufacturingEngineering(MIME)
Department.Hereceivedhisbachelor’sdegreefromUTandhismaster’s
degreefromPurdueUniversity.BeforecomingtoUTin1979,Whitewas
agraduateinstructorandvisitingprofessorofcivilengineeringatPurdue
University,andassistantprofessorofmechanicalengineeringatthe
UniversityofConnecticut.HeiscurrentlyaMIMEprofessor,specializing
incomputergraphics,solidmodeling,andcomputer-aideddesignand
manufacturing.
RonaldL.Fournier,1999-2000
Fournierreceivedhisbachelor’s,master’s,anddoctoraldegreesinchemical
engineeringfromUT.Afteraperiodofmilitaryservice,hereturnedto
Toledoinin1985andservedontheChemicalEngineeringfacultyuntilhe
wasnamedtheinauguralchairofthenewlycreatedBioengineering
Departmentin1997.Asdean,Fournierwasresponsibleforestablishinga
newprograminComputerScienceandEngineeringTechnology,andthe
renamingofTheSouthEngineeringBuildingtoPalmerHallinhonorof
formerengineeringdean,DelosPalmer.Hesteppeddownin2000and
returnedtothefacultyofbioengineering.
StevenE.LeBlanc,2014-2015
StevenLeBlancreceivedhisbachelor’sdegreeinchemicalengineering
fromUT,andhismaster’sandPh.D.fromtheUniversityofMichigan.He
returnedtoUTin1980asafacultymemberinChemicalEngineering,and
in1993hewasappointedchairmanoftheChemicalandEnvironmental
EngineeringDepartment.LeBlancservedasExecutiveAssociateDeanof
AcademicAffairsandProfessorofChemicalandEnvironmental
EngineeringbeforehisappointmentasInterimDeaninJulyof2014.
LeBlanccurrentlyservesasExecutiveAssociateDeanofFiscalAffairsfor
theCollegeofEngineering.
NagiG.Naganathan,2000-2014;2015-present
NagiNaganathanwasnamedinterimdeanafterRonaldFournier
steppeddownin2000,andwasappointedasdeanin2003.Naganathan
cametoUTin1986asafacultymemberinMIME.Hewasnamedthe
firstchairoftheMechanical,Industrial,andManufacturingDepartment.
AsDean,Naganathanoversawtheestablishmentofmanynewprograms
andfacilities,includingtheMIMEseniordesignclinicandCollege-wide
seniordesignexposition,abi-annualshowcaseofengineeringdesign
talent.HewasresponsibleforfoundingtheEngineeringLeadership
Institute,andpresidedoverconstructionoftheNitschke
CommercializationComplexandtheThomasandElizabethBrady
EngineeringInnovationCenter.NaganathanservedasInterimPresident
oftheUniversityofToledofromJuly1,2014toJune30,2015.HereturnedtotheCollegeof
EngineeringinJuly2015andcurrentlyservesasDean.