A University of Toledo engineering faculty member for more than 30 years will serve as interim dean of the College of Engineering, a position vacated by the appointment of Dr. Nagi Naganathan to the interim presidency on July 1.

Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Barrett named Dr. Steven LeBlanc to serve as interim dean of the College of Engineering. LeBlanc, most recently the college’s executive associate dean for academic affairs, has been on the faculty at UT for 34 years and prior to that worked in the electric power industry.

“Steve is an outstanding leader and the perfect choice to continue leading the remarkable growth and success the College of Engineering has experienced,” Barrett said. “His broad experience across the college’s academic and co-op programs will ensure the college remains on the leading edge of education and research.”

“I’m honored and excited by the opportunity to continue to serve our talented students and dedicated faculty in this role,” LeBlanc said. “So many people are involved in creating a strong learning environment for students and I’m committed to maintaining the momentum this college has created.”

A chemical engineer, Leblanc joined the college in 1980. He led the department of Chemical Engineering from 1993 to 2003, at which time he joined the dean’s office to lead academic affairs. Prior to joining UT, LeBlanc spent three years as an engineer at Toledo Edison.

He is co-author of two textbooks, “Strategies for Creative Problem Solving,” which received the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Meriam/Wiley Distinguished Author Award, and “Process Systems Analysis and Control,” a chemical engineering textbook from McGraw-Hill.

He served as chemical engineering program chair for the 1992 National ASEE meeting and also served as the chair of the chemical engineering division of ASEE 1997-98. LeBlanc was co-chair of the ASEE National Chemical Engineering 2007 Summer School for faculty and received the Joseph J. Martin award from the Chemical Engineering Division of ASEE.

LeBlanc co-authored and served as a judge for the 2002 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) National Chemical Engineering Senior Design Contest Problem. He has been an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology program evaluator for chemical engineering programs for AIChE since 1998. He was a member of the Chemical Engineering Education Publication Board from 2005-2012. LeBlanc was named an AIChE Fellow in 2010.

He has received The University of Toledo Outstanding Teacher Award and the ASEE North Central Section Outstanding Teaching Award. He also has served as the chair of the campus beautification committee for the past 13 years. LeBlanc received his undergraduate chemical engineering degree from UT and a master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Media Coverage
The Blade (July 9, 2014)