After seven years as dean of Ǹ’s Case School of Engineering, Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan has chosen to step down from his role effective June 30. He plans to join the engineering faculty following a six-month sabbatical.
“Since becoming dean of our engineering school in 2018, Ragu has been a remarkable and steadfast leader,” said President Eric. W. Kaler. “His leadership guided the school through the COVID-19 pandemic, led to record-setting increases in research expenditures, and enhanced our academic offerings in engineering. Ragu’s vision over the past seven years has positioned the school exceptionally well for its future.”
Balakrishnan, who came to Case Western Reserve after leading the electrical and computer engineering program at Purdue University, has placed great emphasis on embracing interdisciplinary and collaborative academic programming.
In recent years, the engineering school established the , launched the world’s first ABET-accredited , and implemented the Roger E. Susi First-Year Undergraduate Engineering Experience, to name just a few examples.
Also under Balakrishnan’s guidance, the school has embraced an expansion in faculty, welcoming over 40 faculty members since the pandemic began, with plans for continued growth in the years ahead.
From landing to securing numerous center-level grants, the faculty has excelled under Balakrishnan’s guidance—consequently leading to record levels of research production. Both reported research expenditures and fundraising attainment have hit all-time highs in recent years, a sign of Balakrishnan’s effective management of the budget to secure a healthy financial outlook.
“Ragu’s leadership and commitment to interdisciplinary academic excellence has been critical to competitively positioning Case School of Engineering in today’s higher education landscape,” said Provost Joy K. Ward. “We are grateful for his leadership and look forward to having him on the faculty.”