PITTSBURGH \u2014 On Wednesday, CMU announced that it has tapped a longtime leader to serve as the next dean for its engineering school. <\/p>\n
Burcu Akinci<\/a>, head of CMU\u2019s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named the Dr. Willam D. and Nancy W. Strecker dean at the College of Engineering, the first woman to ever hold the role. Her appointment comes after the previous dean, William Sanders, left CMU over the summer to become president of the Rochester Institute of Technology<\/a> in New York. <\/p>\n Akinci\u2019s appointment is effective on Jan. 1, 2026. Vijayakumar Bhagavatula has served as interim dean since Sanders\u2019 departure and will continue until Akinci\u2019s tenure begins. <\/p>\n Click here to read more from our partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times. <\/a><\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n Trump posts no SNAP payments until government reopens<\/a>Election Day 2025: Polls open in Pennsylvania<\/a>Dick Cheney, former vice president, dies at 84<\/a>Fayette County precincts using backup paper pollbooks because of electronic pollbook error <\/a>Photos: Dick Cheney through the years<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n