Peter E. Crouch, dean of engineering for the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the former dean of Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, has been selected dean of the College of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Crouch will begin his new duties in August.
Crouch will lead the college’s seven departments: bioengineering; civil engineering; computer science and engineering; electrical engineering; industrial, manufacturing and systems engineering; materials science and engineering; and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
The college serves about 7,000 students and has awarded more than 1,500 degrees to date for the 2015-2016 academic year, a 28 percent increase from the previous year.
A native of England, Crouch earned his undergraduate degree in engineering science from Warwick University in Coventry in 1973, and his master’s degree in control theory from Warwick the following year. Crouch then earned his Ph.D. in applied sciences from Harvard University in 1977. After joining Arizona State University in 1984, he rose through the academic ranks before being named dean of what would become the Fulton School of Engineering in 1995. He also served as ASU’s vice provost for global engagement from 2005 to 2006.
Crouch was appointed dean of the College of Engineering at UH Mānoa in 2006.
In his previous roles, Crouch successfully enlisted the help and support of major corporations to advance excellence in engineering education. At ASU, he helped secure the $50 million naming gift for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and helped lead the school into the top 50 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.
Crouch helped attract two $5 million gifts for ASU’s Department of Bioengineering. Together with the now ASU W.P. Carey School of Business, he helped attract an $11 million gift from Motorola to enhance manufacturing research and education at ASU. At UH Mānoa, Crouch co-developed the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Education.
“Dr. Crouch has built a reputation as a forward-thinking, hard-charging, seasoned administrator and collaborative leader with a rare ability to cultivate relationships across communities – from elementary school students to government leaders, from corporations to funding agencies and donors,” said UTA President Vistasp M. Karbhari. “He is remarkably well prepared to continue the growth in reputation and size of the UTA College of Engineering, and make it not just the best in Texas but one of the very best in the nation.”