Rowan University names Dr. Ali Houshmand 7th president

The Rowan University Board of Trustees on June 13 named Dr. Ali A. Houshmand seventh president of the University.

Houshmand has served as interim president since last July, after joining the Rowan administration as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs in September 2006. He succeeds Dr. Donald J. Farish as president.

“This is an immensely exciting time to head Rowan University,” Houshmand said. “We have groundbreaking initiatives underway, strong collaborations with government and business leaders and a vision for the future of our institution that will impact generations to come. I am honored that our board has entrusted the role of president to me.”

Board chairman James J. Gruccio said, “Rowan is addressing numerous critical changes at this time, and our University needs a strong president at the helm. Ali has an outstanding track record here and at other institutions. We are confident he is the person to lead Rowan through these changes.”

Born in Iran, where he attended primary and high school as an academic and athletic standout, Houshmand earned his bachelor’s (with honors) and master’s degrees in mathematics and mathematical statistics from the University of Essex, United Kingdom. He earned a second master’s degree and a doctoral degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Experience in academia

After earning his doctorate, Houshmand worked as a staff analyst for United Airlines, developing large-scale optimization and forecasting models. From there, he began his career in academia, joining the faculty of the University of Cincinnati, where he went on to serve as director of graduate studies and acting director of the Industrial Engineering program. During that time, he tripled the number of graduate students in Industrial Engineering, established a comprehensive freshman retention program for the College of Engineering and developed a college-wide teaching effectiveness course, proven to significantly improve instructional quality. For three years, he was the director of student assessment for the College of Engineering.

Next he joined the Drexel University administration, where he served as associate provost for Academic Affairs, dean of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies and interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. During his 18 months as provost, Houshmand oversaw 11 colleges and associated support services. He supervised the implementation of Drexel’s five-year strategic plan, achieving all specific first-year goals in the areas of research, budgeting, cooperative education, faculty development, undergraduate programs and student retention.

Efforts at Rowan University.

The long-time academician has had an equally impressive impact on Rowan, both from an academic and a fiscal standpoint. He established the College of Graduate and Continuing Education, which offers on-campus, offsite and online degree programs and more and generates $25 million in revenue. He oversaw the restructuring of the summer school and graduate school as revenue-generating programs, critical at a time when the New Jersey budget faces more cuts and colleges and universities are called to be more self-sufficient. He established the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning. As leader of the Academic Affairs Division while provost, he reorganized academic programs to be more efficient and effective and supported innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives that enhance revenue and better serve students.  

Rowan has experienced numerous changes since Houshmand joined the administration, many that he facilitated and/or oversaw.

The most visible changes have included the founding with Cooper Health System of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, set to open this summer. Other major initiatives have included the beginning of the  $300 million Rowan Boulevard project that ties the edge of campus to downtown Glassboro and the opening of the first building of the South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University.

Other initiatives/achievements during the past approximate five years have included:

•    Rowan has enjoyed record enrollments, growing from 9,000 to 12,000 students, who possess the highest profile in the institution’s history.
•    The University boasts a record number of accreditations (20), including those for its highly rated College of Engineering and Rohrer College of Business.
•    The institution has added numerous new programs, including Liberal Studies-Humanities and Social Sciences and an R.N.-to-B.S.N. program that is available on campus and at a handful of health systems in New Jersey and California.
•    The University started a number of innovative partnerships, including a dual-enrollment program with Gloucester County College that it plans to expand to other community colleges.
•    The school has increased financial aid, investing an additional $4 million in the past two years.
•    Rowan hired more than 80 tenure-track faculty members from premier institutions such as Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins universities.
•    Rowan will open a School of Biomedical Sciences this summer

Major goal

“One of my major goals is to continue to expand and improve our academic programs while keeping a Rowan education relatively affordable. This is important for our students and also for our region. A better educated population ultimately contributes to the community and to the economy,” Houshmand added. “I am honored to serve Rowan University, its students and South Jersey. I look forward to continuing to work with our faculty and staff, our students and our leaders to improve higher education and further develop our region.”

Houshmand has served as a board member of the American Creativity Association, LEAP Academy, Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development in the Delaware Valley, Cooper Hospital and United Way of Gloucester County.

The new president is widely published in technical, business and academic fields, and he has received numerous competitive research grants and contracts throughout his career. His many awards include the American Creativity Association’s 2006 Champion of Creativity Award in part given for vigorous advocacy of programs that encourage creativity, several teaching awards and a university-wide service award.

Houshmand lives in Glassboro with his wife, Farah. They are the parents of two grown children.