New Faces, NEW PLACES

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Names

Suvranu De as New Dean

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s new dean Suvrano De began his tenure on July ,15, 2022.

De was the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he served as head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and director of the Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Imaging in Medicine.

Administration/Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer

Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced Ella Kiselyuk as associate vice president for Finance and Administration/chief Human Resources & Diversity officer (AVP/CHRO). Kiselyuk, who will also serve as chief of staff for Finance and Administration, started work last October. She was chosen from three finalists and more than 20 applicants because of her experience in higher-education human resources (HR) and campus operations, and her model of HR excellence.

Kiselyuk’s certification from the National Institute on Labor Law and Labor Arbitration is also impressive. During her tenure at City University of New York (CUNY), Kiselyuk served on CUNY Labor-Management Committee, where she represented a diverse group of Human Resources directors from several senior CUNY schools.

Kiselyuk earned both a bachelor’s degree in human resources management and a master’s degree in public administration from Bernard Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), and is a member of her alma mater Executive on Board mentoring program. For over a decade, Kiselyuk worked at CUNY, where she rose to assistant vice president for Campus Operations/executive director of Human Resources. Before that, Kiselyuk worked in HR at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Before coming to FAMU, she was human resources director for Complete Care Management in New Jersey.

“I focused on motivating the multiple teams by empowering the staff and engaging in cooperative guidance,” Kiselyuk said. “I strive to lead by example by emphasizing a sense of urgency and attention to detail for all services.”

“We welcome Suvranu De to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, a unique partnership that is breaking new ground in scholarship, research, and technology innovation while successfully recruiting and educating engineers from underrepresented groups,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. “Dean De’s impressive background makes him well suited to lead the way forward as we enter a new era of success at the college.”

De was one of three finalists chosen by a 14-member committee following a nationwide search. The presidents and provosts of both institutions jointly made the final selection of De.

As dean, De serves as the joint college’s chief academic and administrative officer, overseeing academic affairs and research, including all centers, institutes, and academic services. In this role, he works with both universities’ deans, faculty, and administrators to advance the college’s mission and strengthen the institution’s state, national and international reputation.

“I am deeply honored and humbled by this opportunity to serve as the dean of the FAMUFSU College of Engineering,” De said. “The college is on a steep upward trajectory with exceptional faculty, students, and staff; dynamic educational and research programs; world-class research centers; and dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion. I have been thrilled by the warmth and hospitality I received on campus. My wife, Nilanjana, and I are looking forward to being part of the FAMU-FSU family.”

De succeeds Murray Gibson, who has joined the faculty after five years as dean. Farrukh Alvi has served as interim dean since November 2021.

“Dean Gibson provided extraordinary leadership for the college over the past five years, resulting in significant increases in the college’s stature and national rankings,” said FAMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Maurice Edington. “Dean De’s impressive record of success, ambitious vision and strong commitment to the college’s mission made him the ideal choice for this vital role.”

The dean is employed by FAMU but reports to the provosts of both institutions.

Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature appropriated $6.6 million in recurring funds to the college’s joint budget to improve student success, recruit the best students, attract, and retain outstanding faculty, introduce new courses and degrees, and provide state-of-theart facilities for current and future research endeavors. De will concentrate on bringing external resources and partnerships to the college.

De’s research interests include the development of novel, robust, and reliable computational technology to solve challenging and high-impact problems in engineering, medicine, and biology. He is the recipient of the ONR Young Investigator Award (2005), Rensselaer School of Engineering Research Excellence Award (2008), the James M. Tien ’66 Early Career Award for Faculty (2009), the Rensselaer School of Engineering Outstanding Research Team Award (2012), the J. Tinsley Oden Medal of the U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics (2019) and the Edwin F. Church Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2022).

De currently serves on the editorial boards of multiple journals as well as scientific committees of numerous national and international conferences. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and serves as vice-chair (awards) of the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics and leads/ co-leads several committees of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). He is an elected fellow of four professional societies: the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American representation in education. Her research interests are adherence to physical activity, best health practices, and physical education, particularly within K-12 school settings and among college-age individuals.

Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM), and the United States Association for Computational Mechanics (USACM).

At the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, De leads more than 300 faculty and staff, along with 2,800 graduate and undergraduate students on the campus. Over the past several years, the institution has enjoyed a dramatic rise in rankings, record-breaking research expenditures and notable achievements in academic and research success. More than half of the patents (combined) at FAMU and FSU came out of the joint college. Master’s and doctoral engineering degrees accounted for half of the total advanced degrees produced at FAMU in the 2021-2022 academic year. The 11 doctoral degrees awarded to Black engineers is a record for the top ranked HBCU.

The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is the only such shared college of engineering in the nation. The institution, based in Tallahassee, Florida, has five departments and offers nine areas of study. The college’s faculty run many prestigious research centers and is closely associated with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Florida and her undergraduate studies at Johnson C. Smith University.

Vice President for Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness

Kelly McMurray, Ph.D., joined Florida A&M University (FAMU) as associate vice president Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness in June 2021. She has been instrumental in formulating and presenting the University’s new five-year strategic plan, Boldly Striking, for Board of Trustees’ and Board of Governors’ approval. She was promoted to vice president for Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness in November 2022 as part of the University’s Administrative Restructuring announced by President Larry Robinson, Ph.D.

Before joining FAMU, McMurray worked at Albany State University and the College of Southern Maryland. She also worked at Gordon College in Barnesville, Georgia, and Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Sarah Price Named College of Education Interim Dean

Sarah Price, a tenured associate professor, was named interim dean of the College of Education in December 2022. Price has served as Department Chair for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation since 2014.

She has a strong interest in leadership, accreditation, assisting in overcoming minority health disparities, and improving minority

McMurray earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Clark Atlanta University before earning a master’s degree in applied mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University and her doctorate in educational policy studies, with a concentration in research, measurement, and statistics at Georgia State University, Atlanta in 2010.

Timothy Barber Named Director of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives

Florida A&M University (FAMU) alum

Timothy A. Barber began his role as new director of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum on July 1, 2022. Barber was the long-time executive director of the Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South FL, Inc. He is also the creator and founding director of the Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex.

A native of Miami, Barber earned an associate degree in electronic engineering technology, from Bauder College, in Oakland Park, Fla., and a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in history from FAMU. He received archival management certification from the Georgia Archives Consortium, Museum Management from the Jekyll Island Management Institute, and the Devos Cultural Arts Management Institute. Barber gained his first experience in the field of archives and museums as a research associate at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives. Incorporated in 1977, the Black Archives in Miami houses more than 40,000 collections and objects of enduring value that tells the story of the African American experience in South Florida. The organization shares exhibits, loans objects, and supports educational programming throughout South Florida. Barber began working at the Black Archives in Miami in 2003 as an intern in charge of cataloging the collections before rising to assistant archivist, archivist, curator, historian, and, finally, director, a role he filled for the last 13 years.