Greetings to our UD community!

I am thrilled and honored to be serving as your President and committed to working with you to advance our University into an even brighter future. Together, we will create and pursue bold initiatives to fulfill our shared vision and aspirations of:

  • Expanding Student Access and Success
  • Building a Social Justice Foundation to Support a Diverse, Inclusive and Intercultural Campus
  • Expanding Interdisciplinary and Global Opportunities
  • Redefining Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Reimagining Intellectual and Physical Capital for a Sustainable and Boundless Campus

I am enthusiastic and energized about the power and potential of our University.  I know I can count on you to join me in making our University as dynamic and vibrant as it can be. After all, the greatest asset of UD to shape both culture and experience is you: our students, faculty, staff, alumni, Trustees and friends.  Your support and contributions will help us ensure that UD continues to thrive as a world-class institution and prepare our next generation of leaders.

This is a wonderful time to be part of the evolutionary journey of the University.  My wife, Eleni, and I are proud members of the Blue Hen community, and we look forward to getting to know more of you. Together, we create a new future.

Photos of UD President Dennis Assanis and Eleni Assanis outside their home in December of 2020.

ENVISION. EXPLORE. ENGAGE. — President's Report 2024

Students conducting science experiments on blueberries in the lab.
A UD student perfroms a violin piece at a showcase in Detroit.
A group of local dignitaries (including Delaware Governor, John Carney, and UD President, Dennis Assanis) cuts the ribbon on UD's Fintech Innovation Center.

At the University of Delaware, we are committed to advancing our proud legacy of excellence in education, discovery, achievement and engagement, always driving purpose and progress forward.

View the President's Report

President's Student Advisory Council

UD President Dennis Assanis speaks with UD students at the first meeting of the President's Student Advisory Council

The President’s Student Advisory Council provides insights and feedback on important student-centered topics and develops workable recommendations to address students' concerns.

meet the Council MEMBERS

President Assanis Serves on National Advisory Group

Appointed by President Joe Biden, UD President Dennis Assanis serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a select group of the nation’s most distinguished leaders in these areas.

aBOUT PRESIDENT ASSANIS'S APPOINTMENT

READ THE PCAST REPORTS

ACE Initiative to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness

President Dennis Assanis created the ACE (Advocacy, Change, Effectiveness) Initiative to take a systematic approach to identifying and developing opportunities for business process improvements.

ace initiative website

The Green at the University of Delaware

President Assanis on social media

1743 Welcome Days holds Twilight Ceremony, August 27th, 2018 with speakers President Dennis Assanis, Provost Robin Morgan, student speaker Qourtney Ringgold, José Rivera, SGA president Kevin Peterson and UDAA President Steve Beattie. (PHOTO RELEASE SIGNAGE WAS POSTED AT EVERY TABLE STATION.)
Messenger-Assanis_Environmental_Portraits-061016

ABOUT DR. ASSANIS

Dennis Assanis is the 28th President of the University of Delaware. He was elected to the position by the UD Board of Trustees on Nov. 18, 2015. He took office June 6, 2016, and was formally inaugurated Dec. 7, 2016.

Dr. Assanis is a distinguished educator with a wide range of academic leadership experience and a worldwide reputation as a scholar and expert in both fundamental and applied studies of internal combustion engines and energy systems. In 2019, Dr. Assanis was named to the new National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers, an initiative of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Council on Competitiveness. 

Before coming to UD, Dr. Assanis served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University and as vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs. He previously taught and conducted research at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Dr. Assanis earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Engineering from Newcastle University in England (1980). At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned three Master’s Degrees: Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (1982), Mechanical Engineering (1982) and Management (1986). Also at MIT, he earned a Ph.D. in Power and Propulsion (1985). 

In 2023, Dr. Assanis was recognized by Newcastle University with its Alumni Impact Award

Dr. Assanis and his wife, Eleni, have two adult sons, Nicholas and Dimitris. 

Curriculum Vitae

 

ABOUT FIRST LADY ELENI ASSANIS

Eleni Assanis has been the President of AAI, a consulting company that has supported the research, development, strategy and planning activities of leading global companies and start-ups.

Since Dennis has joined the University of Delaware as its 28th President, Eleni is devoting her energy to various philanthropic causes, humanistic and artistic endeavors, and community engagement activities to support the University’s vision for inclusive excellence.

UDid it Picnic: Annual picnic to celebrate faculty & staff achievements and work throughout the year, with additional spirit station/lawn games this year 2018

Contact 

Email:
president@udel.edu

Phone:
(302) 831-2111

Mail:
Office of the President, University of Delaware, 104 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716

Speaking requests:
To request President Assanis speak at an on- or off-campus event, please contact Sinead Horan, sinead@udel.edu.