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Amos Named Dean of Technology
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MAY 4, 2004 -- Scott J. Amos, head of the Department of Industrial Management at Southwest Missouri State University, has been named Michigan Technological University's new dean of technology, Provost Kent Wray has announced. His appointment is effective June 1. Amos will also serve as MTU's dean of distance learning.
"I'm excited about what Scott Amos can bring to Michigan Tech and to the School of Technology," Wray said. "He has been very successful in advancing technology programs at two other institutions, and we look forward to him having similar results at Michigan Tech."
Graduate Dean J. Bruce Rafert has been serving as dean of distance learning. However, because of significant growth of the graduate program, the distance learning responsibilities will be assumed by Amos.
"Bruce has done an excellent job spearheading Michigan Tech's distance learning efforts," Wray said. "He has forged agreements with three other colleges, and his management of the university's distance education programs with General Motors and Ford has been superb. The Graduate School has also expanded under Bruce's leadership, and it's important the we now focus his energies in that key area for Michigan Tech."
"Scott has a strong background in online education, so distance learning will be a good fit for him," Wray said.
MTU's interim president Glenn Mroz has been serving as interim dean of technology since the retirement of the School's former dean, Tim Collins.
Among his accomplishments as head of Southwest Missouri's industrial management department, Amos led the development of a new strategic plan, precipitating a successful accreditation effort and boosting the department's enrollment. He coordinated the development of an online degree completion program and taught online courses.
Amos is also director of the Center for Industrial Productivity at Southwest Missouri State, where he has encouraged collaboration between colleges and departments on a number of grants totalling $9.5 million.
Before moving to Southwest Missouri in 2000, Amos developed and directed the Construction Management Technology Program at Weber State University, in Ogden, Utah.
Amos's goal at MTU is to raise the profile of the School of Technology and differentiate it from the University's engineering programs, particularly among prospective students and industrial employers. "Technology is a very broad term, so it gives us a lot of opportunity to look at the needs of industry and serve those needs," he said. "My basic agenda is to increase enrollment and pursue additional outreach opportunities."
Amos noted that the School's newest program, a proposed concentration in construction management within the BS in Engineering Technology, dovetails with his own experience.
"My background is in construction management," Amos said. "I see that as a big area for growth, as well as computing systems."
He also plans to look into expanding the School's distance education program. "One of my other hats will be dean of distance learning," he said. "That's very compatible with the degree programs in the School of Technology, as well as those offered by the College of Engineering."
Amos holds a PhD in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in construction engineering and management from the University of Florida. His MS in Electrical Engineering is from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and he is a graduate of the Command and Staff Program at the U.S. Naval War College.
He is a registered professional engineer in Minnesota and a certified professional constructor with the American Institute of Constructors. He retired from the USN Civil Engineer Corps with the rank of lieutenant commander.
His research interests center on cost engineering theory and practice as it relates to the construction and manufacturing industries. He has published more than 20 technical articles and research reports and served as editor for the latest edition of the book "Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering."
He has served as an instructor in short courses and workshops for the American Public Works Association, the American Concrete Institute and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE).
Amos has received a number of university and professional awards for teaching, research and service. He was recognized twice by the American Society for Engineering Education for outstanding service as a campus representative. He was named Pacific Ocean Area Engineer of the Year in recognition of his outstanding performance in the engineering profession and exemplary service to the community. He is also a recipient of the Total Cost Management Award from the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering, AACE International.
Amos is active in professional and technical affairs and is a member of several technical and professional societies. In AACE, he is a member and past co-chair of the Education Board. He has served as a regional director for the National Association of Industrial Technology, and for eight years was a construction management technology degree program accreditation evaluator for AACE.
Amos and his wife, Joycelyn, are moving to Houghton with their 10-year-old daughter. They also have two sons, one in the Coast Guard and the other graduating from the University of Iowa. |
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