UCSD professor Freider Seible has been appointed dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering, according to an announcement made by Chancellor Robert C. Dynes on Feb. 27.
Seible, a UCSD faculty member since 1983, served as the founding chair of the department of structural engineering from 1995-2001 and has been acting as interim dean of the Jacobs School since July 2002.
Seible is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is an internationally acclaimed expert in bridge design, structural systems and earthquake engineering. He has helped develop testing methods for structural techniques and seismic assessment. Seible is now charged with maintaining and improving one of the best engineering programs in the nation.
“”I believe it is important to define the school so that in the end, we are graduating people with strong backgrounds; where people on the outside will have a clear idea of what it means to be a Jacobs School graduate,”” said Seible.
U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Jacobs School of Engineering among the top 15 engineering schools in the nation. The Jacobs School is also the youngest school to be ranked in that category. UCSD administrators hope that the school will soon be in the top 10.
“”Seible’s appointment and the stature and visibility it brings to UCSD means there will be no loss of momentum in the rapid ascension of the Jacobs School of Engineering into the top 10 engineering schools in the nation,”” said Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Planning and Resources David Miller.
Miller believes Seible is capable of shaping the future of the school through both his intellectual and scholarly distinction and his active engagement in research programs.
According to Miller, these were the characteristics used in the search for a new dean. The newly appointed Seible says the new position will provide him with challenging new responsibilities.
“”I really can now take on leadership and facilitate the growth which is being phased in the Jacobs School,”” Seible said.
The Jacobs School of Engineering is expected to grow by 40 percent over the next decade, increasing the faculty by almost 100 and the student population by almost 1,000.
“”The Jacobs School is the only engineering school in the top 15 with the word ‘engineering’ in the title,”” said Seible. “”We are a new type of engineering school, and I want to make sure we are doing it right. We want to set an example for the rest of the schools to follow.””
Seible’s standards echo those set by the administration. According to Miller, these goals include planned growth, the increase of academic innovations, leading research that impacts both California and the nation, and attracting the best students and faculty.
“”We want to establish the school in a way that the students and alumni will be highly recognized as graduates from the Jacobs School,”” Seible said.
“”We want them to have special attributes, which will make them recognizable as graduates from Jacobs School. I want them to be known for knowing more than the average graduate. Our alumni will be what establishes the Jacob School as one of the best in the nation.””
