Vol. 38, No. 18

4-7-2004
By: David Bhaerman

Baeslack named dean of engineering

President Karen Holbrook and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara Snyder have recommended the appointment of William A. “Bud” Baeslack III as dean of Ohio State’s College of Engineering, effective July 1 through June 30, 2009. The university’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment at its April 2 meeting.

Baeslack is a familiar face at the university, having been an Ohio State faculty member since 1982 before leaving in late 1999 to become professor and dean of the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He served as chair of Ohio State’s Department of Welding Engineering from 1991-94 and as associate dean of research and college development in the College of Engineering from 1994-98. In addition, he served as interim vice president for research and president of The Ohio State University Research Foundation from 1998-99.

Baeslack also has extensive government experience, having served in various research and engineering capacities for the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base since 1978. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in welding engineering from Ohio State, as well as a doctorate in materials engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

“It is both a pleasure and a privilege to be returning home to Ohio State as dean of the College of Engineering, and I very much look forward to this opportunity to work with the college’s faculty and community in advancing the excellence and reputation of the college, and its impact on the state of Ohio,” Baeslack said.

Baeslack has an international reputation as an expert on the materials science and engineering aspects of joining advanced materials, including titanium, aluminum and nickel-based alloys, intermetallics and metal-matrix composites. He and his students have authored more than 150 papers in journals and proceedings. Baeslack also has developed and taught undergraduate, graduate and professional/continuing education courses in materials and welding engineering.

He is a fellow of three technical professional societies — ASM International, the Welding Institute and the American Welding Society — and is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Engineering Education and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

“Ohio State is very fortunate to have recruited Dr. Baeslack back home. I know what an extraordinary leader he is at RPI and what a significant difference he has made in four years there,” Holbrook said. “I have every confidence in his ability to lead our College of Engineering to even greater excellence and to contribute to the university broadly.”

“Bud’s leadership experiences at Ohio State and as dean of engineering at Rensselaer — coupled with his extraordinary record of scholarship — will allow him to advance the agenda of the college in strong alignment with the university’s Academic Plan,” Snyder said. “I am confident that his talent, expertise and vision is a great match for our College of Engineering.”

A search committee appointed by the Office of Academic Affairs conducted a national search to seek applications for the dean position.
“The search committee identified excellent candidates, but Bud stood out because of his combination of impressive credentials and experience,” Snyder said. “His record of accomplishment as a highly respected administrator will serve the college well. Many of his colleagues in the college and across the university share our excitement about Bud’s return to Ohio State.”

Snyder also expressed the university’s gratitude to Dean Jim Williams. “Jim’s willingness to interrupt his scholarly work to serve as dean for a three-year term was a great service to the university. The college has benefited tremendously from his leadership. We are fortunate that he will continue his research and teaching as the Honda Professor of Materials in the Department of Materials Science.”

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