September 27-2013
Iranian-born Ali A. Houshmand was sworn in Friday as the new president of Rowan University in southern New Jersey.
Born in Iran, Houshmand went to England for his college education, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Exeter. Then he moved to the United States, earning a second master’s and a doctorate in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.
After that, he joined United Airlines, where he developed forecasting models. But he left industry for academia, teaching and holding various administrative posts at the University of Cincinnati and Drexel University in Philadelphia before joining Rowan in 2006.
The school was founded in 1923 and was known through most of its life as Glassboro State Teachers College until being named Rowan in 1992. It is best known as the site of the 1967 summit between US President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin.
The school has grown from its humble beginnings as a training ground for New Jersey school teachers. Houshmand says he wants to grow it much more. His goal is to double the student body to 25,000 in a decade, quadruple research funding to $100 million and raise the operating budget $1 billion, which would make it one of South Jersey’s economic engines.
The school, however, is little known to the public. But it enjoys good rankings. In the U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings for 2013, Rowan ranks as the 19th best regional university in the North, and the third best public school in the North. For undergraduate engineering programs at schools where doctorates are not offered, Rowan ranked 16th of 199. Its chemical engineering ranked third of 22 and its mechanical engineering eighth of 118.
In his inaugural address, Houshmand, 58, said, “Only an extraordinary institution can reach our level in 90 years. Only a dynamic institution can lead. I know we can accomplish our goals.”
He vowed that tuition and fees would never increase more than the rate of inflation while he is president.
On a more personal note, he spoke of his “humble” beginnings in Iran, one of 10 children whose father for a while supported the family by selling buckets of water. He extolled the power of education, as well as his love of the United States and gratitude for his citizenship.