The School of Engineering and Science (SES) has been so fruitful in the past five years because of the diligent efforts of its Dean, Dr. Jean Zu. Zu joined the Stevens community in 2017 and has over 30 years of experience in academia as she strives to evolve the world of engineering.
Dr. Zu’s academic journey began in 1987 at Tsinghua University in China, where she worked as both a teacher and an impassioned researcher. She then entered the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto in 1994 and became the first woman in the Asian Department Chair in 2009.
Dr. Zu’s efforts have been highly regarded by the Stevens community. Thanks to her bounteous contributions to SES, Dr. Zu has recently been reappointed as the dean for another five years. Zu has also done a tremendous job at nurturing SES during her time as dean; she has created a vast community of students and faculty at SES, having recruited 64 faculty members during her previous term with more that are planning to hop aboard in the 2022-23 academic year. Her adjustments to SES have also fostered an increase in enrollment in Stevens; the undergraduate enrollment has risen by 25% in the 2021 school year.
Thus, Dr. Zu will not slow down. When asked about her goals for the next five years, she responded enthusiastically, “we will continue to innovate and modernize our curriculum, enhance teaching effectiveness, provide more research opportunities, and strengthen student advising, career development and alumni engagement.” Dr. Zu plans to keep SES on track with the state of engineering and science in the world as it evolves. She strives to continue giving fuel to the flame of Stevens’ reputable programs, “In building a top-notch research enterprise, we will continue to recruit top-notch faculty, provide a strong, supportive and collaborative research environment and significantly increase our PhD enrollment and scholarly activities.”
It’s safe to say that the future of SES is in good hands with Dr. Zu. Her passion for engineering is hard to miss as she explains her favorite part of being dean —“the satisfaction and joy gained from the positive changes and achievements of our students and faculty.” With such optimism, the future of the SES looks amazing. Dr. Zu plans to further innovate her program with the help of Lore E. Feiler Endowment, a campaign created to promote various skills among undergraduate women such as business, entrepreneurship, and engineering. An emphasis on female participation in the world of technology is one of the many factors which drive Dr. Zu’s efforts. She stresses that “while many positive changes have taken place in the five years, there are several areas for improvement in our effort to achieve our goals that I would like to pursue. Moreover, I have immensely enjoyed the Stevens community with great people, spirit and momentum.”
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