April 8, 2010
UC Riverside professor, associate dean will serve one-year
term; Search for permanent dean under way
MERCED — The University of California, Merced today
announced the appointment of Mark Matsumoto to the position of
interim dean of the UC Merced
School of Engineering,
effective April 1.
Matsumoto is currently professor of environmental engineering
and associate dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the
University of California, Riverside. His UC Merced appointment will
be for one year, during which he will take a leave of absence from
his UC Riverside duties. UC Merced’s
search for a
permanent deanis under way, and an appointment is expected
later this year.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Matsumoto to UC
Merced,” said Steve Kang, UC Merced chancellor. “We will benefit
enormously from his many years of experience and insights as we
continue to expand and enhance our engineering programs to serve
the critical needs of the state, the nation and the world.”
Matsumoto joined the faculty of UC Riverside as professor of
environmental engineering in 1994, following 11 years as a
professor or program director in the School of Engineering and
Applied Science at the State University of New York in Buffalo. At
UC Riverside, he has served at various times as chair of the
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department; as chair of the
Mechanical Engineering Department; and twice as associate dean of
the Bourns College of Engineering (once for student affairs and
once for research and graduate affairs). He also served as interim
dean of the Bourns College of Engineering during 2004 and 2005.
In his new position, Matsumoto replaces
Thomas Harmon, who served as acting dean for three months
following the resignation in December 2009 of Jeff Wright, who was
founding dean of the UC Merced School of Engineering. Harmon, one
of UC Merced’s founding faculty members, returns to his position as
professor of engineering.
“As the first research university established in the 21st
century, UC Merced is poised to take a leadership role in higher
education,” said Matsumoto. “I hope to lend my experience to the
School of Engineering and its outstanding faculty as it continues
its growth toward prominence.
“Having been a part of the startup of the Bourns College of
Engineering at UC Riverside in a variety of roles, I see many
parallels to the situation at UC Merced. I am looking forward to
working together with everyone at this important stage of its
growth and development.”
Matsumoto holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UC
Irvine and master’s and Ph. D. degrees in civil engineering from UC
Davis. He has authored or co-authored numerous scholarly articles
on environmental engineering and serves as an expert reviewer or
consultant for more than two dozen industry publications,
professional organizations, government agencies, businesses and
publishing companies. He is a member of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Engineering
Education, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Water
Works Association and Water Environment Federation.
Matsumoto will be compensated at an annual salary rate of
$201,160. The amount of compensation received will be prorated
according to the number of months served in the position of interim
dean. Per university policy, he also will be eligible for continued
regular UC benefits and for reimbursement of travel expenses.
MEDIA CONTACT:
James Leonard
