University Announces Appointment Of Interim Engineering Dean

Image courtesy of the The Catholic University of America

By Patrick D. Lewis

Catholic University announced Tuesday that Dr. J. Steven Brown has been appointed Interim Dean of the newly reorganized and expanded College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing, effective immediately.

A statement from the School of Engineering said Brown brings “deep institutional knowledge and a strong commitment to our students, faculty, and research mission. We are confident that under his leadership, the school will continue to thrive and build upon recent momentum.”

The statement went on to say that previous Engineer Dean John Judge “began a well-deserved year-long sabbatical. Afterward, he plans to return to the university in a full-time faculty role, where he will continue to contribute meaningfully to the academic and research life of the university. We are grateful for his years of dedicated leadership and are excited to see him return to the classroom.”

Judge had been serving as Dean of Engineering since July of 2017. The statement did not include any reason as to why he will not be continuing in the role.

J. Steven Brown had been serving as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Administration and Dean of Graduate Studies since June 2016. He is still serving as Senior Vice Provost, according to the university’s website. 

Brown will be taking  charge of Engineering as it transitions from the School of Engineering to the College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing and adds the Department of Physics, formerly part of Arts and Sciences. The move is part of the larger university reorganization.

“This unification will foster closer collaboration between disciplines and strengthen the university’s capacity to lead in applied science, technology, and research,” said the Engineering School in a statement. It continued, “These changes represent a bold and thoughtful step forward for Catholic University’s engineering, physics, and computer science communities, and we are excited for what’s ahead. We remain deeply grateful for this community’s continued support and engagement as we work to advance the mission of the university.”

It is unclear whether a candidate search will be taking place for a permanent dean for the school.