Ashok Saxena Appointed to Fill University Provost Role

Photo by Russell Cothren, Matt Reynolds

Ashok Saxena

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ashok Saxena, former University of Arkansas College of Engineering dean, and current head of the department of biomedical engineering, has been selected to serve as University of Arkansas provost upon Provost Sharon Gaber’s departure. He will serve in this role until a new chancellor can appoint the next provost.

Saxena was selected by Dan Ferritor, the incoming interim chancellor for the Fayetteville campus. Ferritor is currently the vice president for learning technologies for the U of A System.

Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs since 2009, will leave her post at the University of Arkansas at the end of this academic year to become the next president of the University of Toledo. Chancellor G. David Gearhart has announced his plans to retire on July 31, 2015. 

“I am pleased to have such a distinguished faculty member, administrator and person help out the U of A in this time of need,” said Ferritor. “To have someone who has the breadth and depth of experience and understanding of the University of Arkansas and its goals and objectives will buoy our academic affairs during this time of transition. Dr. Saxena is not only a Distinguished Professor, but also a nationally recognized engineer, former dean, vice chancellor of a new university in India and the founding chair of the biomedical engineering department. Indeed, we feel very fortunate that he has agreed to serve.”

Ferritor said he expects Saxena to be in the role up for to 18 months, depending on the timeline for hiring the next chancellor. The provost serves as second to the chancellor of the university and serves on the chancellor’s executive committee. 

Saxena was the first permanent head of the department of biomedical engineering, which was created in 2012.  He has a long and distinguished career in academia. As a researcher, Saxena has always worked in multidisciplinary fields, focusing mainly on mechanical engineering and materials science. He has been interested in the biomedical field for over a decade.  

“I am both delighted and honored to be invited by Chancellor-designate Ferritor to serve in the role of provost,” Saxena said. “I very much look forward to contributing to the academic mission by working with the wonderful faculty, staff and the student body of this great institution.

“Thanks to the innovative Gearhart-Gaber leadership of the past six years, the university is in a very strong position,” he continued. “Nonetheless, we have lots of work to do and big shoes to fill in consolidating these gains and continuing on the path of improvement. With help from the leadership team consisting of the vice provosts, the deans and the department chairs, I am excited about the future.”

Saxena served as dean of the College of Engineering from 2003 until 2012, when he stepped down in order to serve a two-year appointment as the senior leader at Galgotias University, a new private, multidisciplinary research university near Delhi, India.

As vice chancellor (the equivalent of the campus CEO in Indian/British higher education) of Galgotias University, Saxena oversaw the institution’s growth from zero to 6,500 students. He also helped the country of India gain admission to the Washington Accord, an international engineering accreditation organization.

Saxena’s awards and recognition include the George Irwin Medal (1992) from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for his pioneering contributions to creep fracture mechanics, the ASTM Award of Merit and Fellow (1994), Fellow of ASM Award (1996), and Georgia Tech Outstanding Research Author Award (1993). He is a recipient of the Wohler Medal (2010).

Saxena received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

His major industrial experience was at the Westinghouse Research and Development Center in Pittsburgh, where from 1976 to 1985 he rose to the rank of Fellow Scientist.

Prior to coming to the UA, he was chair of the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering and was named Regents’ Professor in 2002.

The search committee for the university’s next chancellor is being assembled by President Donald Bobbitt and will be announced at a later date.