UA picks dean for graduate school

Pohl to take over helm from Rom

Ed Pohl, a professor, researcher, scholar and U.S. Air Force veteran, is shown with Gearhart Hall, home of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in this undated combination of courtesy photos. Pohl has been named the next dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the university, officials announced Friday, May 5, 2023.
Ed Pohl, a professor, researcher, scholar and U.S. Air Force veteran, is shown with Gearhart Hall, home of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in this undated combination of courtesy photos. Pohl has been named the next dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the university, officials announced Friday, May 5, 2023.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Ed Pohl, a professor, researcher, scholar and U.S. Air Force veteran, has been named the next dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

"Pohl led the university's largest graduate degree program and has also served as the director of the master's degree program in engineering and the department head of a large and complex department since 2014," Provost Terry Martin said in Friday's announcement from the university. "His own personal commitment to graduate education and his extensive experience overseeing graduate degree programs and research excellence in the College of Engineering make him well suited for his new role."

Pohl, who joined the university in 2004 as an associate professor of industrial engineering, succeeds Curt Rom, who has served as interim dean since January 2022.

Rom has "indicated his desire to return to his faculty position" as a professor of Horticulture in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences, according to Lyndsay Bradshaw, University Relations assistant director of executive communications. Pohl is poised to begin his new job June 1, and his annual salary will be $288,000.

"I'd like to thank Dr. Rom for serving as interim dean of the Graduate School and International Education during this transition period," Martin said in the university's news release. "He is respected across campus as a faculty member and advocate for international education, and I'm grateful for his continued dedication to the" university.

From 2007 to 2014, Pohl was director of the operations management master's degree program -- one of the largest graduate programs at the university -- and in 2010 he became the director of the Master of Science in engineering program, a role he continues, according to the university. He served as the director of the Center for Innovation in Healthcare Logistics from 2013 -- the same year he was promoted to full professor -- to 2017; he's been head of the Department of Industrial Engineering since 2014; and he holds the 21st Century Professorship in Engineering.

"I'm honored to be named dean of the Graduate School and International Education, and I'm grateful for this opportunity," Pohl said in the university's news release. "My vision for GSIE is to be globally recognized for our innovative and transformative programs and to produce scholars who are diverse, creative thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders who positively impact our state, nation, and world."

Pohl has conducted research in risk, reliability, engineering optimization, healthcare logistics and supply chain risk analysis, decision making, and quality, contributing his expertise to 83 refereed journals, 17 book chapters, 87 conference papers, and more than 200 conference presentations, according to the university. He's a certified professional in engineering management, a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management, the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, and the Society of Reliability Engineers, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society for Quality.

He is a diplomate in the Society of Health Systems and a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management, according to the university.

He received his Ph.D. in systems and industrial engineering from the University of Arizona, and he has a Master of Science in systems engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, an M.S. in reliability engineering from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in engineering management from the University of Dayton, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Boston University.

The Graduate School and International Education "facilitates transformational experiences and opportunities for all graduate students, all international students, and all domestic students studying abroad through programming and support, collaboration with campus partners, and advocacy," according to the university. "The school advances the university's academic and research enterprise by attracting, recruiting, and retaining top-notch graduate students, in addition to recruiting and supporting a thriving international student population that brings diverse cultures and perspectives to our campus -- and to Arkansas" -- while connecting domestic students with study abroad experiences.

It has 4,277 graduate students and 1,144 international students (which includes undergraduate, graduate, and law), according to Bradshaw. Roughly 735 international students are also graduate students.

Pohl spent 21 years in the Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel, and he served in various engineering, operations analysis, and academic positions, from associate professor of systems engineering at the U.S. Military Academy West Point to assistant professor of aerospace and systems engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology, according to UA-Fayetteville. He was also deputy director of the Operations Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy, operations research analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, munitions logistics manager at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, and training systems engineer for the B-2 program.

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