From getting his master’s degree in electrical engineering at NIU in 1988, to being appointed acting dean of the College of Engineering, Promod Vohra has come a long way.

Vohra, currently associate dean for the College of Engineering, officially will assume his new title on July 1, when the current dean Romualdas Kasuba retires. The Board of Trustees will approve the appointment at its June 19 meeting.

For Vohra, the 17-year-old association with NIU has been “pleasant and personally rewarding.”

“He is highly qualified,” Kasuba said. “I believe Dr. Vohra will do a good job.”

The appointment, made by Provost Ivan Legg, will be a year long, after which the university can run a search for a new dean or re-appoint Vohra for another year.

“He was the logical choice by definition of what he’s been doing as associate dean,” Legg said. “Right now it will be a big challenge due to the financial situation.”

Legg said he was looking for a person who works with people, is able to make decisions and has served as a good faculty member for the interim position.

“I’m ready to fit into the role, I’m very comfortable in this position and yet, I feel a certain sense of responsibility to take the college to the next level,” Vohra said.

During his term as acting dean, Vohra hopes to renew the focus on research, take the college to the next level and make NIU the student’s first choice.

“Being an alumni of the university, I have a vested interest in seeing NIU at the top,” Vohra said.

For more information on the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, visit:

http://www.ceet.niu.edu/.