Hesham El-Rewini named UND dean of engineering and mines Hesham El-Rewini has been named dean of the School of Engineering and Mines following a national search, announced Greg Weisenstein, UND provost and vice president for academic affairs. El-Rewini, a native of Egypt, has been a full professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, since 2001. He led a department that is consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top computer engineering programs in the nation. His department, along with SMU, was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency. He also helped create new graduate and undergraduate programs, while revamping and continually examining existing programs. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hesham El-Rewini to the University of North Dakota’s academic leadership team,” Weisenstein said. “He brings an incredible record of successful academic leadership to his new position as dean of the School of Engineering and Mines. “Dr. El-Rewini was selected from among several highly qualified candidates because of his proven abilities to help his academic units achieve national distinction and his strong commitment to student success.” Before his time at SMU, El-Rewini was a full professor and interim chairman of the computer science department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. There he played a central role in his department, prioritizing for major budgetary cuts, while at the same time preparing his department for external and internal reviews. He spent 11 years at UNO, also serving as assistant professor and associate professor in the computer science department. “I am very delighted to join the UND family and I look forward to working with the very capable engineering faculty and staff to move the school ahead,” El-Rewini said. “Together, we can produce engineering graduates who can compete globally, contribute to the economic development of their region and nation and advance society. “I believe that the School of Engineering and Mines at UND can play a critical role in a much needed national effort to retain and reassert the United States’ leading role in engineering and innovation.” El-Rewini will replace John L. Watson as dean. Watson served the position from 2001 until his retirement March 31. Michael Mann, associate professor of chemical engineering at UND, is serving as interim dean. “UND’s School of Engineering and Mines, under recently retired Dean John Watson, achieved great strides in elevating its status among the best schools of engineering in the country,” Weisenstein said. “We anticipate Dr. El-Rewini will build on these accomplishments by continuing the School of Engineering and Mines’ excellent trajectory of success.” El-Rewini received a B.S. (distinction with highest honor) and M.S. in computer science and automatic control from the University of Alexandria Faculty of Engineering in Egypt. His Ph.D. in computer science came from Oregon State University in Corvallis in 1989. El-Rewini is the co-author of five books in the fields of computer architecture and engineering. His research interests include parallel processing, sensor networks and mobile computing. The research he’s conducted has resulted in grant and funding awards from industry and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense Army Research Office. He also has been a principal investigator of international projects to develop training programs for universities in Mexico and the Middle East. Those efforts were funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. El-Rewini also has general interests in strategic planning, assessment and academic training. Most recently, he has been instrumental in developing a bold strategic plan for the SMU School of Engineering to help put its students at the forefront as leaders and innovators. El-Rewini also is a registered engineer in the state of Texas. His contract at UND is set to begin on July 1.