Dr. William P. Osborne to Resign as Dean
Of UTD School of Engineering and Computer Science
To Become Head of New School at University of Missouri – Kansas City
RICHARDSON, Texas (Jan. 24, 2002) – Dr. William P. Osborne, dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, will resign from UTD effective next summer to accept a similar position with another university. UTD officials have launched a national search for his replacement.
Osborne will become dean of the recently formed School of Interdisciplinary Computing and Engineering at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). The school, launched in 2001, combined the university’s computer science telecommunications program and its engineering program in order to focus on and offer new degrees in emerging technologies.
“It is with deep regret that I accept Bill Osborne’s resignation from UTD,” said university President Franklyn G. Jenifer. “Bill is well-known and well-respected by the academic and business communities alike, and he will be missed.
“During his tenure as dean, the Jonsson School gained national prominence for its quality of teaching and research, its innovative degree offerings and its rapid growth,” Jenifer said. “Students, faculty and administrators at UTD can be assured that we will seek out the very best candidates from throughout the country in a comprehensive search for his replacement.”
“I’ve very much enjoyed my time at UTD and, together with outstanding faculty and staff, I believe we helped move the Jonsson School forward,” Osborne said. “However, UMKC has presented a challenge I can’t refuse – to take a promising, young computing and engineering program to the next level.”
Osborne, who joined UTD in 1995, is well known for his expertise in the fields of electrical engineering, computer science and telecommunications. He has held senior level positions in both the academic and business worlds.
Under Osborne’s leadership, the Jonsson School became the fastest growing school of engineering and computer science in the United States. It ranks first nationally in the number of computer science degrees awarded to women, second in the number of master’s degrees awarded in computer science and fifth in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer science. In addition, the university ranks 14th in the country in the number of master’s degrees awarded in electrical, electronics and communications engineering and 25th in the country in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in those disciplines.
This summer, UTD is scheduled to complete a 152,000-square-foot addition to the Jonsson School, effectively doubling its capacity to approximately 6,000 students.
The school has been a leader in innovative degree offerings. Several years ago, UTD became the first university in the U.S. to offer a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications engineering, and last year joined the ranks of a select group of universities that grant a B.S. degree in software engineering.
Osborne forged close ties between the university and many of the hundreds of high-technology companies located nearby. He helped develop new, and deepen existing, mutually-beneficial relationships with companies in the Telecom Corridory, many of whom hire UTD graduates and provide the university with research funding and other types of grants and contributions. Conversely, the university provides employees of these firms a convenient, affordable place to purse high-quality professional training and graduate education.
Osborne holds a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University. In addition to being dean of the Jonsson School at UTD, he held the L.M. Ericsson Chair in Electrical Engineering.