As The Ohio State University continues to focus on our academic excellence strategy, I am pleased to share that Ayanna Howard, dean of the College of Engineering, has been reappointed to a five-year term, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, pending Board of Trustees approval.
Throughout Dean Howard’s tenure, the College of Engineering has significantly improved its financial position while also focusing on bolstering faculty eminence. In 2024, three faculty members were selected for the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the largest cohort in university history, and two were named to the NAE in 2023.
The college has also increased its student enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate and professional levels. In autumn 2024, the student headcount was 1,594 more than in autumn 2020, with the graduate and professional student enrollment increasing from 1,809 to 1,956, and the undergraduate population growing from 8,450 to 9,897.
In addition, the College of Engineering has set new records in undergraduate first-year retention and graduation rates during Dean Howard’s tenure, and it has improved its six-year graduation rate from 68.4% in 2020 to 71.3% in 2024. Moreover, the share of students graduating with debt declined from 45.7% in the 2019-20 academic year to 42.6% during the 2023-24 academic year. Simultaneously, students’ average debt has also decreased from $27,943 in the 2019-20 academic year to $25,809 during 2023-24.
Under Dean Howard’s leadership, the College of Engineering’s fundraising efforts have also improved. During Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, the college exceeded its fundraising goal by nearly $300 million. For three years in a row, the college has seen record-breaking research funding from external sources, with more than $207 million in FY24, $187.15 million in FY23 and $162.4 million in FY22. The college’s previous research funding record of $153 million was set in 2017.
During Dean Howard’s tenure, the college has also launched several engineering research centers, including three that are NSF funded: AI Edge Institute, AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment (ICICLE), and Imageomics Institute.
I am grateful to Dean Howard for all that she does to advance excellence at the College of Engineering. In addition, I want to thank the reappointment committee, which was chaired by Patrick Louchouarn, senior vice provost for leadership and external engagement. It was a thorough and thoughtful review process for which my team and I are grateful.
We are particularly appreciative of the engineering alumni and supporters for the continued success of our College of Engineering. As we look ahead, I anticipate that Dean Howard will continue to develop her leadership team, which will work closely with the rest of the college to identify academic pinnacles in support of our academic excellence plan.
In her second term, I look forward to Dean Howard collaborating with our engineering faculty, staff, students and alumni to develop a signature undergraduate experience, further increase the college’s research reputation, and implement a clear, proactive communications strategy to consistently convey how the College of Engineering supports its constituents.
Please join me in congratulating Dean Ayanna Howard.
Sincerely,
Ravi V. Bellamkonda
Executive Vice President and Provost