Dean Gary Kuleck announced he is seeking a new opportunity in Oregon and is leaving Detroit Mercy at the end of this month. Katherine Snyder, Ph.D. ’89, ’93 has been named interim dean.
Under Kuleck’s guidance, Detroit Mercy and the College of Engineering & Science won a five-year, multi-institutional, $21.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in biomedical research. The program, ReBUILDetroit, is now in its third year.
Kuleck was also instrumental in soliciting funding support from alumni and the NIH to develop the new Center for Automotive Systems Engineering Education (CASEE) and the Innovation Space for Research and Exploration (iNSPIRE) Laboratory, two facilities that inspire faculty and student research collaboration and encourage student participation in undergraduate research.
He has also led the way in supporting the development of new programming in bioengineering technology through a grant from the Clare Boothe Luce Foundation and the appointment of a sustainability director who will work to strengthen the College’s urban commitment to environmental and sustainability initiatives in Detroit.
Snyder was named interim dean for the College of Engineering & Science where she has been associate dean of Academic Affairs since 2010, and associate professor of Mathematics and Computer Science.
She has served the University on a number of teams and committees, including, the Banner Student Group, Academic Advising Committee, Core Curriculum Task Force, Information Technology Team, Undergraduate Coordinators and University Bargaining Team. She is the Prinicple Investigator (PI) of a $200,000 grant from the Ford Motor Company for a Ford Mobility App project, and is key personnel for the ReBUILDetroit grant a $21.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. In addition, she serves on the Academic Board for Detroit Loyola High School. Before coming to the University of Detroit Mercy as a faculty member in the Mathematics & Computer Science Department in 1994, Dr. Snyder taught high school in Southwest Detroit. She has earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Computer Education at Wayne State University. She also holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics and a M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Detroit.
Snyder began serving as Interim Dean on May 31.
