UT Tyler Names New Provost
April 27, 2015
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
UT Tyler Announces New Provost
April 27, 2015
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
April 27, 2015
Dr. Amir Mirmiran has been named the next provost and vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Tyler, effective July 1, President Rodney H. Mabry announced.
Mirmiran also will hold the UT Tyler Sam Lindsey Chair in civil engineering. One of five finalists, Mirmiran will come to UT Tyler from Florida International University in Miami, where he has spent the last seven years serving as dean of the College of Engineering and Computing.
“We are fortunate to have a strong leadership team at this university, and I thank you in advance for welcoming Dr. Mirmiran and his family to our university family,” President Mabry said. “Dr. Mirmiran has a wealth of academic experience from different institutions. His research in bridge engineering has led to two U.S. patents and more than 110 journal publications.”
Mirmiran also has overseen research projects totaling more than $15 million funded by industry and entities including the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Transportation.
An accomplished engineer and academic leader, Mirmiran currently oversees 28 innovative degree programs in 12 specialty areas of engineering, science, technology, telecommunication and construction to 6,100 students, with a college budget exceeding $55 million. He leads a team of 140 full-time faculty and more than 200 professional staff in the areas of research and administration.
“One of Mirmiran’s strengths that made his skill-set attractive is his ability to spearhead complex and innovative research initiatives and partnerships. His college also delivers a number of overseas programs, professional development programs and an array of online programs. His college is first in the continental U.S. for granting engineering and computer science degrees to Hispanics, sixth in the nation for African Americans and second in Florida for graduating women engineers,” President Mabry added.
Mirmiran holds a master of science and Ph.D. in civil engineering, both from the University of Maryland. He has also served at the University of Central Florida, University of Cincinnati and North Carolina State University.
Mirmiran will take the position left vacant by Dr. Alisa White, who became president of Austin Peay State University in Tennessee in 2014. Dr. Ross Sherman, UT Tyler College of Education and Psychology dean, has been serving as interim provost for the past year.
“I want to thank Dr. Ross Sherman for his meritorious performance as interim provost and for his more than two decades of incomparable excellence and dedication to this institution,” Mabry said.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,000 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.