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• Ken Coley re-appointed Dean, Faculty of Engineering for a second term

Ken Coley re-appointed Dean, Faculty of Engineering for a second term

Ken Coley has been re-appointed Dean, Faculty of Engineering for a second term, beginning July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029.

The recommendation to renew Coley's appointment was advanced with the unanimous support of the Faculty of Engineering Decanal Review Committee and President Shepard. The recommendation was informed by feedback gathered from members of Western’s Faculty of Engineering and the campus community.

Coley was first appointed Dean in July 2019. Through the feedback process the review committee identified many of Coley's strengths, including his focus on consensus building that enables the Faculty and our university to advance shared goals. During his first term Coley guided Engineering faculty, students and staff through the difficult challenges of the pandemic, provided strong support to advance research grant success and output, and led the development and implementation plan for ‘Engineering Impact’, the Faculty of Engineering’s strategic plan 2022-2027.

With a focus on ensuring an outstanding teaching and learning experience for students, Coley has made strides in developing stronger student supports to ensure higher retention rates, and strategically expanding program options for graduate and PhD students.

Coley has identified several ambitious and strategic goals for his second term as Dean that will build on his previous accomplishments, including a strong focus on cultivating an improved workplace culture that incorporates the prioritization of EDID efforts, identifying new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across faculties, developing the student experience through new programming and embedded experiential learning, as well as continued research advancement.

Coley is a nationally renowned researcher, educator and administrator. Prior to Western, he served as Associate Dean (Academic), Chair, and professor of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University, where he held the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Chair in Ferrous Metallurgy and served as Director of the Steel Research Centre in Hamilton.
Prior to joining McMaster, Coley was the British Steel Lecturer in Process Metallurgy at University of Strathclyde and a senior scientific officer at the National Physical Laboratory (UK).