Enrique Lavernia announced last week that he will step down as dean of the College of Engineering a year from now. He will stay on as faculty in chemical engineering and materials science, the department he joined upon coming to UC Davis as dean in 2002.

Lavernia

He served as dean until January 2009, then as provost and executive vice chancellor for nearly two years before returning to the dean’s office in December 2010.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, in a June 6 letter to the College of Engineering faculty and staff, praised Lavernia for “a decade of dedicated leadership.”

“On behalf of the entire UC Davis community, we write to express our sincere gratitude for his service to the college and our university,” Katehi and Hexter wrote.

Lavernia sent a letter the day before: “Serving as dean of the College of Engineering at this outstanding university has been an honor and a joy, thanks in large part to you, our amazing faculty and staff."

Katehi and Hexter said the planning for a national search for a new dean will begin soon. They said they will engage with the college faculty, staff and other constituents for help in understanding the critical issues that should be addressed and to gather input regarding the attributes that the university should look for in the next dean.

The search is expected to start in the fall.

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