Provost Update (November 2, 2026)

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the selection of Ghassan Kridli as UM-Dearborn’s new provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. 

Ghassan’s selection is the result of a thorough search process. Factors influencing his selection include his nuanced understanding of our campus, his integrity in all of his professional dealings, his strong relationships with our campus community, his decade of experience as dean and associate dean in the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, and his excellent service to our campus as interim provost over the last 18 months.
 
Ghassan’s official appointment will begin January 1, 2027, pending regental approval. I want to thank the provost search committee and co-chair Professor Kim Killu for their hard work, integrity, and commitment to this process. 

Ghassan earned his BS in 1986 and his MS in 1988, both in mechanical engineering, from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He earned his PhD in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1997. Ghassan joined the faculty of the UM-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science in 1997 as an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. He was promoted to associate professor in 2003 and to professor in 2014. He was appointed as the associate dean for undergraduate education in CECS in 2015. In 2020, Ghassan was appointed as the interim dean for the college and as dean the following year. He has been serving as interim provost since May 2025. 

I am eager to continue my collaboration with Ghassan and look forward to moving UM-Dearborn into our next chapter. Please join me in congratulating him on his appointment. 

Go Blue! Go Dearborn!

Gabriella Scarlatta
Chancellor