Past Presidents
Dennis Assanis became the 28th president of the University of Delaware on June 6, 2016. Formerly provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University in New York, he was elected by a unanimous vote of UD’s Board of Trustees in November 2015.
With a deep commitment to academic excellence and student success, a drive to expand world-class research, scholarship and innovation, and a determination to translate knowledge into beneficial impact for all, Dr. Assanis energized the University as a hub for global education and engagement, expanding resources and opportunities for students, faculty and staff to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
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. Before joining Stony Brook University, he had a distinguished career at the University of Michigan for 17 years.
Dr. Assanis was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineers in 2008 for his scientific contributions to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions of internal combustion engines, and for promoting automotive engineering education. He holds five patents and has directed more than $100 million in research grants and contracts.
He holds an honors bachelor of science degree with distinction in marine engineering from Newcastle University in England and four degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology: a master of science degree in naval architecture and marine engineering and a master of science in mechanical engineering, a master of science in management from the Sloan School of Management and a doctorate in power and propulsion.
Dr. Nancy Targett served as acting president of the University of Delaware from 2015 to 2016; the Board of Trustees later removed "acting" from her title to make her UD's 27th president.
A member of the UD faculty since 1984, Targett previously served as dean of UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) and director of the Delaware Sea Grant College Program.
A nationally recognized marine chemical ecologist and expert on ocean issues, she was a past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership and served as an officer of the Sea Grant College Association, a national network of 32 Sea Grant College Programs.
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, she earned her master's degree in marine science at the University of Miami and her doctorate in oceanography at the University of Maine.
Dr. Patrick T. Harker became the 26th president of the University of Delaware on July 1, 2007. He also served as professor of business administration and professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Before coming to UD, Harker was dean of the Wharton School and Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise at the University of Pennsylvania. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering, a master's degree in economics and a doctorate in civil and urban engineering, all from the University of Pennsylvania.
David P. Roselle was named the 25th president of the University of Delaware in May 1990 and continued in his role until his retirement in 2007 .
Prior to his 17-year tenure at UD, Dr. Roselle served on the faculties of the University of Maryland, Louisiana State University and Virginia Polytechnic and State University, where he also held several administrative posts, including that of provost. He became president of the University of Kentucky in 1987, serving for nearly three years there before coming to UD.
Dr. Roselle received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Duke University and completed his undergraduate education at West Chester University.
Russel C. Jones was appointed as President of the University of Delaware, beginning his service on July 1, 1987. Jones resigned from the position in October 1988. Prior to his brief tenure at UD, Jones served as a dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and academic vice president with Boston University.
Edward Arthur Trabant served as President of the University of Delaware from 1968 to 1987 and returned to the post again from 1988 to 1990 after Russel Jones’ resignation. Under Trabant’s leadership, undergraduate enrollment grew to 13,000, several of the University’s facilities were expanded including the Hugh M. Morris Library, and new facilities were constructed in Lewes (College of Marine Studies), Newark (John M. Clayton Hall) and Wilmington (Division of Continuing Education and Academy of Lifelong Learning). The Trabant University Center is named in honor of Dr. Trabant.
Prior to his tenure with UD, Trabant held administrative posts at Purdue, Buffalo and Georgia Tech.
John William Shirley, the university’s provost, was named interim president in 1967 and remained in that role until 1968 when Edward Arthur Trabant, UD’s 23rd president, was appointed.
John Alanson Perkins was appointed as UD president in 1950. Under his leadership, undergraduate enrollment grew from 1,500 to nearly 6,000, which created a need for campus expansion and new programs. The college endowment also grew rapidly during his presidency to many times what it had been prior to his term.
Perkins served as president for 17 years until he resigned in 1967 to accept a position as president at Dun & Bradstreet.
Perkins Student Center is named in honor of the past president.
Allan Philip Colburn was named interim president in 1950 after William Samuel Carlson resigned from the post. Colburn’s brief tenure was notable because in that year, the University of Delaware became open to all Delawareans, regardless of race, by decree of the Delaware Chancery Court. Within a short time, the same freedom from any racial restriction was also extended to out-of-state residents.
Under the administration of William Samuel Carlson, who was appointed as UD president in 1946, state appropriations increased to provide for veterans who resumed their education after the end of World War II. In 1948, the University awarded the first Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry, two disciplines for which the University is now highly regarded.