Viola L. Acoff Accepts Position as UM Engineering Dean
By Erin Garrett
College of Mississippi
Award-successful researcher and educator Viola L. Acoff has been named dean of the University of Mississippi Faculty of Engineering, pursuing a national look for.
Acoff, who will be part of the university July 1 pending acceptance of the Mississippi Institutions of Increased Understanding, is the school’s initially woman and to start with African American to serve in this placement. The new dean explained she was drawn to the university for quite a few motives.
“I am most excited about the new opportunities in biotechnology, advanced production and strength in Mississippi and encompassing locations, which I imagine all departments in the Faculty of Engineering can perform a job in advancing these emerging systems,” Acoff mentioned.
“I am searching ahead to doing work with college, learners, workers and industry to enhance the University of Engineering’s contributions to these and other rising systems.”
Acoff comes to Ole Miss from the University of Alabama, in which she has served as affiliate dean for undergraduate and graduate programs given that 2014. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in elements engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Acoff has agreed to lead our University of Engineering,” reported Noel Wilkin, UM provost and govt vice chancellor for educational affairs. “She is a gifted college member and administrator.
“The school’s growing exploration action and increasing courses will reward from her encounter and leadership as the university pursues its up coming stage of excellence. I actually glimpse forward to doing work with her.”
Other than her role of affiliate dean at the University of Alabama, she has served as a comprehensive professor due to the fact 2004. She led the Department of Metallurgical and Supplies Engineering from 2009 to 2014 and also led the Division of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
She has printed more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and secured a lot more than $13 million in externally funded grants. She has served as a specialist to market-primary companies, in addition to serving on several boards and in far more than two dozen professional company roles.
Acoff has taught undergraduate and graduate classes in welding metallurgy, physical metallurgy and scanning electron microscopy and has an lively investigation team involving welding metallurgy and characterization of metals.
She is most proud, having said that, of her far more than 25 years’ working experience in increasing the amount of STEM levels awarded to students from underrepresented groups.
“I have served as the project director for the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Application, which is a statewide application funded by the National Science Basis,” she said. “In addition, I co-led a system that, in just about a ten years, launched elements science to pupils at 82 of the nation’s 107 Traditionally Black Colleges and Universities.”
A recipient of many nationwide and intercontinental awards, Acoff was acknowledged as just one of the Most Influential Black Company Administrators by Savoy journal, and as one particular of the Most Influential Corporate Directors by WomenInc. The Engineering Council of Birmingham named her its educator of the calendar year in 2016.
As dean, Acoff seeks to enhance visibility of SOE programs, when recruiting and retaining top students.
“I am eager to operate with colleagues to establish a eyesight and prepare that will additional progress the University of Mississippi’s College of Engineering in starting to be the definitive selection for the greatest and brightest college students, college and employees,” she claimed. “I want to go on and progress the university’s target of holding proficient persons from leaving the state and at the same time attracting new expertise from all around the earth.”
