TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Yaw Yeboah, Ph.D., announced today that he will step down as dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering (COE) on July 31. Yeboah became the fifth dean of the COE on July 1, 2012. Marcella David, J.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at FAMU, and Sally McRorie, interim provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at FSU announced that Bruce Locke, Ph.D., former chair of the COE Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering and currently FSU associate provost, will assume the role of interim dean on Aug. 1.

“Dr. Yeboah has my heartiest thanks and appreciation for his dedication and commitment to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering,” McRorie said. “He has been a steadfast leader dedicated to student success and to raising the profile of the College.” McRorie added, “As he prepares to assume the role and responsibilities of full professor with tenure later this summer, it is clear that his support of students, faculty, programming, and alumni in his department and in the entire College will remain unwavering.”Yeboah began his illustrious career in industry conducting research and development at the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center in Schenectady, N.Y. He then joined Clark Atlanta University, building an engineering program as associate dean for science and engineering.

In addition, he served as technical director of the Research Center for Science and Technology at Clark Atlanta University from 1995 to 2004. Joining Pennsylvania State University in 2004, Yeboah was the department head of the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, where he administered the engineering degree programs in energy, environmental systems, mining, and petroleum and natural gas. A national search for the next dean of the College will begin in the fall. David noted that, pursuant to ongoing planning to strengthen the joint College, the tenure home for the next dean will rotate to Florida A&M University.

“We are looking forward to selecting a dean who will continue to build on past efforts to grow and strengthen the joint College and serve the needs of both FAMU and FSU,” she said. The search process she envisions will be broadly inclusive. “We look forward to seeking the input from COE faculty, students, and staff, as well as alumni and industry leaders. In the meantime, it is important that we have someone as capable as Bruce Locke serving as interim dean. I look forward to working with him and to my continuing collaboration with Provost McRorie.”