(JACKSON, Miss.) – To maintain its competitive edge while preparing future scientists and engineers, the Jackson State University College of Science, Engineering and Technology has restructured its organizational model.
The college is no longer divided into two schools – the School of Science and Technology and the School of Engineering – but rather is organized around three functions: undergraduate programs, recruitment and retention; graduate and international programs; and research, corporate development and diversity and fund development.
CSET Dean Dr. Richard Aló said the new organizational structure focuses on the functions needed to advance the mission of the college and to implement the vision of JSU.
“The new structure is organized around three super goals,” Aló said. “Those goals include recruitment/retention/graduation, gate keeper course success and research.”
Along with Aló, CSET’s leadership team includes Dr. Paul Tchounwou, who has been named associate dean for Graduate and International Programs; Dr. Wilbur Walters, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, Recruitment and Retention; Craig Cassidy, assistant dean for Research, Corporate Development and Diversity; and Angela Getter, CSET development officer.
The new model no longer includes the positions of associate dean for science and technology and associate dean for engineering.
“We will work together as we propel ourselves to the very highest levels of excellence in keeping with the vision and mission of JSU,” said Aló, who was a program director for the National Science Foundation and executive director of the Center for Computational Sciences and Advanced Distributed Simulation at the University of Houston-Downtown before joining JSU in 2012.
Tchounwou, a member of the JSU faculty since 1996, is internationally recognized for his biomedical research. He is a Presidential Distinguished Professor and directs the DoD-Center of Excellence in STEM Education, the NIH-Center for Environmental Health and the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program. He most recently served as CSET’s associate dean of Science and Technology. In his new role, Tchounwou ensures that CSET offers the highest quality graduate and international programs and recruits and supports top quality faculty and students.
Walters previously served as chair of JSU’s Department of Physics, Atmospheric Sciences and Geoscience, where he is an associate professor with a joint appointment with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has been a member of the faculty at JSU since 2002. In his new capacity, Walters is responsible for all facets of undergraduate program development, student recruitment and retention.
Cassidy is the former executive director of the Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at the University of Houston and executive director of the UH System’s Research and Diversity Initiatives. He later joined the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where he served as research development officer for the Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics. Earlier in his career, he served as associate director of the TB Structural Genomics Consortium, which included research teams from 12 countries, while working as an assistant research scientist at Texas A&M University. Cassidy has received more than $58 million in federal research funding and raised over $10 million from private foundations.
Getter’s career includes a diverse mix of capital campaign, major gift and development work in higher education and non-profit organizations, including executive leadership at several historically black colleges including Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Albany State University, Mississippi Valley State University and others. Getter served as managing director of the historic Kresge Foundation HBCU Initiative, an $18 million project that built sustainability for historically black colleges and universities.
“Please join me in welcoming this team as we all work together to advance JSU/CSET to the highest levels of excellence and student achievement,” Aló said.