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.
FACULTY BOARD ON ATHLETICS
The Faculty Board on Athletics serves as a review and advisory body to the President of the University. It is comprised of faculty, student-athletes, and administrators from across the institution and is chaired by the Faculty Athletics Representative, an NCAA-required position. Among its duties, the Board maintains and fosters a clear commitment to academic integrity, promotes student‑athletes’ academic success, health, and well-being, and undertakes specific projects as requested by the President. The Board was established in 2011 by former UD President Patrick T. Harker to replace the Athletics Governing Board.
Voting Members (appointed by the President)
Carlos Asarta — Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), Chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics, Bank of America Chaired Professor of Business
Jesus Botello — Professor of Spanish
Thomas Buckley — Professor of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Jennifer Buckley — Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Sebastian Cioaba — Professor of Mathematical Sciences
Mary Dozier — Professor of Psychological & Brain Science
David Edwards — Professor of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology and Chair of the Kinesiology & Applied Physiology Department
Dan Freeman — Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship
Jody Greaney — Assistant Professor of Health, Behavior & Nutrition Science
Lesa Griffiths — Professor of Animal & Food Science
Salil Lachke — Professor of Biology and Associate Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences
George Tsakumis — Associate Professor of Accounting
Ex-Officio Members
Laura Carlson — Provost
Michael Chajes — Dean, Honors College
McKenzie Didio — Student-Athlete, President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council
Dawn Floyd — University Title IX Coordinator
Chelsey Burk — Senior Woman Administrator
Tim Morrissey — Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes
Luke Rautzhan — Student-Athlete, Vice President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council
Chrissi Rawak — Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
José-Luis Riera — Vice President for Student Life
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.
Communications
President Assanis on social media
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.
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.
