The academic operations of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs College of Engineering and Computer Science β one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation β will have a new leader this week when Professor Manoj Chopra becomes the collegeβs interim associate dean for Academic Affairs.
Chopra, a professor in the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ , will assume the role Friday, replacing Professor Charles Reilly, who will become ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs assistant vice provost after serving as the collegeβs associate dean for Academic Affairs since 2009, says Dean Michael Georgiopoulos.
Chopra will lead all academic operations of the college, with a student enrollment of more than 11,500, while the college undertakes a search for a permanent associate dean. The office handles student advising, faculty teaching, scholarships, degree conferment, space and facilities. The office has 15 academic advisors and support staff.
Β ‘My goal is to create an environment of support for the success of our students and faculty.’
βMy goal is to create an environment of support for the success of our students and faculty,β Chopra says. βIt is important that this transition be smooth and seamless, and I hope to build on my experience in interacting with the faculty and mentoring of students, to provide leadership for the critical academic operations of the college.β
Chopra has held numerous leadership positions in the college and for the university since joining ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ in 1993, including serving as associate chair for the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, and as director of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Stormwater Management Academy.
He is the universityβs lead for research space for the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Office of Research, working on solutions and strategies for the optimal use of limited research space on all ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ campuses.
In 2014, he was selected as a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Provost Faculty Fellow to conceptualize and implement the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Faculty Cluster Initiative, a university research effort to leverage ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs existing strengths with interdisciplinary teams focused on solving pressing scientific and societal challenges.
Since 2012, when ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs former President John C. Hitt appointed him as the NCAA faculty athletics representative for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, Chopra has served as the liaison between the presidentβs office and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Athletics, responsible for the academic success, eligibility, welfare and development of student athletes.
He served as the chair of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Faculty Senate and represented the faculty on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2009. Subsequently, he was elected by his peers to serve as the faculty representative on the Florida Board of Governors responsible for all 12 state universities. In 2014-15, he was briefly appointed the interim vice provost for Teaching and Learning and the dean of Undergraduate Studies. Chopra is a program evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
His research areas include the study of sinkholes, behavior of soil and foundations, soil erosion and sediment control, and sustainable pavements. He has conducted more than $6 million of sponsored research and has 75+ publications with his students. He shared the 2001 Excellence in Environmental Engineering award by NASA for his patented work in innovative groundwater cleanup techniques. His professional assessment and research on sinkholes have received extensive media coverage in Central Florida and nationally. He has also received several awards for his educational activities, including four Teaching Incentive Program awards, the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Excellence in Faculty Advising.
Chopra holds masterβs and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a bachelorβs degree in civil engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India.
