Saint Martin's appoints new engineering dean
August 23, 2010
Lacey, Washington — Saint Martin’s University
announced today that Zella Kahn-Jetter, Ph.D. will be the new dean of
the School of Engineering. Dr. Kahn-Jetter has over twenty years of
experience in Catholic higher education. She currently serves as the
chairperson of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Manhattan
College, a private Catholic college in New York following the Lasallian
tradition founded by the Christian Brothers. Dr. Kahn-Jetter will be the
third new dean joining the University this academic year; Dr. Eric
Apfelstadt became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in July and
Dr. Richard Beer joined as the new dean of the School of Business in
August. Dr. Kahn-Jetter will assume her deanship in January 2011. The
present dean, Dr. Anthony De Sam Lazaro, will be retiring this fall
after leading the School through its review by ABET, the national agency
that accredits engineering programs.
“Our national search drew many impressive applicants
from all around the country for the position, and we are extremely
pleased and honored that Dr. Kahn-Jetter has accepted our invitation to
take a leadership role in this pivotal position,” says Saint Martin’s
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joseph Bessie, Ph.D.
“Dr. Kahn-Jetter has the intelligence, energy, and enthusiasm to inspire
and lead us as we enter a new era in the School’s history. ”
At Manhattan College, Dr. Kahn-Jetter was involved
in student advisement, curriculum development, budget preparation and
management, faculty and course scheduling, student affairs, hiring of
adjuncts, overseeing full-time and tenure-track faculty appointments,
and accreditation. She was very focused on recruitment and retention
issues, especially in creating a more diverse student population.
“I am thrilled to be joining Saint Martin's
University,” says Dr. Kahn-Jetter. “This is a great period in the
School's history and I am excited and eager to be able to be a part of
this.”
Dr. Kahn-Jetter holds a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering from The Cooper Union, a master’s degree in
mechanical engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. from Polytechnic University
in Brooklyn, New York. She is a registered professional engineer, and a
member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National
Society of Professional Engineers, Pi Tau Sigma, and the Society of
Women Engineers.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent
four-year, Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre
wooded campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic
Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine
colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only
one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares
students for successful lives through its 22 majors and six graduate
programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, and
engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250 students from many ethnic and
religious backgrounds to its main campus, and 650 more to its extension
campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia
College, and Tacoma Community College.
Genevieve Canceko Chan
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4332
gchan@stmartin.edu
www.stmartin.edu