MACON – Mercer University announces the appointment of Michael Steven Leonard, Ph.D., as senior associate dean of the School of Engineering, effective June 1.
In this new role, Leonard will work closely with Mercer School of Engineering Dean Dayne Aldridge to provide general oversight of the School of Engineering and represent the School to internal and external constituencies. He will be responsible for the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Program and the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management Program. He also will assist with the Center for Excellence in Engineering Education and the various activities required for maintaining accreditation.
“Mercer is very fortunate to have a person with Dr. Leonard’s accomplishments and experience to assist in leading the School of Engineering,” Aldridge said of Leonard’s appointment.
Leonard earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in industrial engineering from the University of Florida. He began his career at the Georgia Institute of Technology Health Systems Research Center. He went on to serve as a professor and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was a faculty member for 15 years. He was awarded Outstanding Industrial Engineering Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia for eleven consecutive years.
He comes to Mercer from Clemson University, in Clemson, S.C., where he served as a professor of industrial engineering. During his 14 years at Clemson, Leonard served in several leadership roles. He was head of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 1990 to 1995, interim chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 2000 to 2001 and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 2001 to 2003. He was named Outstanding Industrial Engineering Professor at Clemson in 2000.
“I am honored to be joining the engineering faculty at Mercer. Mercer’s strong engineering core provides excellent preparation for successful engineering practice. I think Mercer engineering is already very good and we have the opportunity to make undergraduate engineering education truly world class,” Leonard said. “I can’t wait to tell others- potential students and their families, employers and professional colleagues- around the country about all the good things going on in engineering at Mercer.”
Leonard has served on numerous engineering boards, including currently serving as a member of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Board of Directors; the International Conference on Engineering Education: Technical Program Committee; and National Society of Professional Engineers-Professional Engineers in Education Executive Board of Directors.
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