MACON – M. Dayne Aldridge, Sc.D., P.E., announced today that he will retire as dean of the Mercer University School of Engineering, effective June 30, 2008, completing a distinguished 9-year career as dean of the School and more than 45 years in engineering.
Dr. Aldridge was appointed dean of the School of Engineering in 1999 and was named Kaolin Chair of Engineering in 2004. During his tenure, Aldridge led the School to be nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report and oversaw the completion of the $14-million Science and Engineering Building, a state-of-the-art facility that is one of the finest engineering buildings in the country.
“During Dean Aldridge’s tenure, Mercer’s School of Engineering has earned further acclaim for the high quality of engineering education Mercer provides,” said Mercer Provost Horace Fleming. “Dayne has served Mercer with distinction, and we are pleased he will continue his service to Mercer in his faculty position.”
Upon his retirement as dean, Aldridge will retain his appointment as a professor of engineering. Aldridge summed up his time as dean as a “very fulfilling experience that I shall cherish for the rest of my life” and said he hoped that he would be remembered for his impact on the people in the School of Engineering.
“My most lasting contribution will probably be realized through the new faculty members we have hired during my tenure,” Aldridge said. “Hopefully, my efforts helped the entire faculty continue their emphasis on providing effective personal instruction with an outstanding curriculum. We have enhanced our commitment to preparing graduates who are ready for the world of practice and for further study. I am most pleased with our increased commitment to helping students develop exceptional communication skills and master the art of design.”
Prior to his appointment as dean, Aldridge served at Auburn University from 1984 to 1999. While at Auburn, he was professor of electrical engineering. He served as associate dean for Research of the College of Engineering prior to 1989. In 1989, he became founding director of the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management and was appointed as the Thomas Walter Eminent Scholar in Technology Management in 1994. He served in both capacities until his appointment as dean at Mercer.
Aldridge served as an electronic engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center from 1963 to 1968, when he accepted an electrical engineering faculty appointment at West Virginia University, where he taught until 1984. While at West Virginia University, he founded the WVU Energy Research Center in 1978 and was director until 1984.
Aldridge is an active member of the engineering community. He is a fellow of IEEE, American Society for Engineering Education and Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology and is a Registered Professional Engineer and is a past president of the IEEE Industry Applications Society. He was co-principal investigator of the ABET Regional Faculty Workshops, funded by the National Science Foundation, industry and ABET. He received the IEEE Educational Activities Board Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities in November 2002 and the IEEE Industry Applications Society Distinguished Service Award in October 2004. Aldridge has served the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET in several capacities, including chair, and presently serves as Adjunct Accreditation Director for Engineering.
Aldridge received his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963 and his master of science and doctor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1965 and 1968, respectively.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial Health University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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