Jersey City, N.J. – April 11, 2019 – Saint Peter’s University today announced that WeiDong Zhu, Ph.D., has been appointed to the position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences effective May 15 after serving as the interim dean since the beginning of the fall 2018 semester. Dr. Zhu also currently serves as a professor of physics in the Department of Applied Sciences and Technology.
“Dr. Zhu’s dedication to our students—in and out of the classroom—has always been evident and commendable,” said Frederick Bonato, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Saint Peter’s University. “As interim dean, Dr. Zhu has exhibited firm and steady leadership and I have no doubt that he will be a strong champion for all faculty in all departments. I am confident that his vision and strong desire to forward the Saint Peter’s mission will help to move a strong College of Arts and Sciences towards an even more successful future.”
In this role, Dr. Zhu will work with faculty to maintain and improve the quality and effectiveness of the academic programs within the College of Arts and Sciences which currently has 73 full-time faculty members in 15 departments. He will work with faculty to develop new and evaluate existing curricula of instruction within the College at the undergraduate and graduate levels with a focus on innovative academic programming, including programs in wholly online and blended formats.
Prior to taking on the role of interim dean, Dr. Zhu served as chair of the Department of Applied Sciences and Technology since 2014. He began his career at Saint Peter’s in 2007 after earning his Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2005. An accomplished researcher in the field of microplasmas and atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma technology, Dr. Zhu has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and holds two U.S. patents. He has also served on numerous committees at Saint Peter’s and has chaired the Curriculum Committee from 2015 to 2018, completed a term as Faculty Senate vice president and was elected Faculty Senate president in 2018.
To learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Peter’s University, please visit https://www.saintpeters.edu/academics/college-of-arts-and-sciences/.
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