Dear campus community,
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Andrew Ketsdever as dean within the College of Engineering that serves more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Ketsdever will join Cal Poly Pomona on July 10, 2023 from Oregon State University (OSU)-Cascades where he serves as dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer with responsibility for expanding degree programs to meet industry needs, advancing research efforts and leading faculty instructors and researchers. (Dr. Ketsdever served as interim vice president of OSU-Cascades from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2023 before recently reassuming his role as dean.) He also holds an appointment as professor in OSU’s School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. With his arrival, CPP welcomes a strategic, caring leader with strong ties to industry that will position our faculty, staff, and students for success both on- and off-campus.
Before joining OSU-Cascades, Dr. Ketsdever was a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS), where he served as department chair. There, he was director of Online Graduate Programs for the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Dr. Ketsdever also served as director of the UCCS Center for Laser, Energy and Exploration Research, overseeing a research program with more than $3 million in grant and other funding. In 2018, he was named the UCCS College of Engineering Researcher of the Year.
Dr. Ketsdever earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. While pursuing his education, he joined the Propulsion Directorate of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base.
During a 20-year career as a civilian with the U.S. Air Force, he was appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the astronautics department at the U.S. Air Force Academy. At the Air Force Academy, he was also program manager for FalconSat IV, a small satellite developed to be launched into low-Earth orbit.
Dr. Ketsdever is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets and associate fellow with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Alison Baski for her service as interim dean for the College of Engineering and her continuing leadership as Dean of the College of Science. We are also grateful for the search committee’s effort and time dedicated to the search.
Search committee chair: Saeideh Fallah Fini, Assistant Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
- Alison Baski, Dean, College of Science; Interim Dean, College of Engineering
- Laila Jallo, Associate Professor and Chair, Chemical & Materials Engineering
- Navid Nakhijiri, Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering
- Phyllis Nelson, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Faculty Director, Data Analytics
- Henry Xue, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
- Yasser Salem, Professor and Chair, Civil Engineering
- Shauna Gilkinson, Budget Analyst, College of Engineering
- Staff support: Saccara Lim, Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Brown, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs