Colorado State University Selects Washington State University Administrator as New Engineering Dean

Note to Reporters: A photo of David McLean is available with this release at news.colostate.edu

Colorado State University has chosen David McLean, director of the Transportation Research Center at Washington State University, as its new College of Engineering Dean.

A faculty member at WSU for 26 years, McLean has held a number of administrative appointments at the university, including chair of the civil engineering department and associate dean for the college of engineering. McLean will assume the dean’s position July 1.

“We are excited that Dr. McLean will be assuming this key leadership role in the College of Engineering,” said CSU Provost Rick Miranda. “He brings a strong combination of academic and administrative experiences that will help shepherd and lead our College as it advances in even more areas of excellence that impact Colorado and the world.”

McLean has received numerous regional, national, and international awards for his research, teaching, advising and consulting. As director of the Transportation Research Center at WSU, he successfully strengthened relations with the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. McLean also increased the level of transportation research activities, expanded the range of research to address multi-disciplinary issues, and created new focus areas in sustainable transportation, low-impact development, preservation and improved efficiency of existing systems, and alternative energy sources.

“Dr. McLean’s effective partnerships with other universities, transportation centers and government agencies in Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon, including the successful effort to secure the FHWA Region 10 University Transportation Center, will greatly serve CSU,” Miranda added.

Prior to joining WSU, McLean worked as a research structural engineer with the National Bureau of Standards and as a construction engineer with the Louisiana Department of Transportation.

“I am excited to join Colorado State University,” McLean said. “During my tenure as chair, our department achieved significant progress on every strategic metric, including external grant funding, despite significant reductions in state funding. Undergraduate and graduate enrollments more than doubled; the undergraduate civil engineering program is now the 13th largest in the United States. We also achieved significant increases in the number of under-represented minority and female students.”

Under McLean’s leadership at WSU, dual-degree graduate programs with universities in France and China were developed, providing global experiences for the participating students and faculty.

For more information about the Colorado State University College of Engineeering, go to www.engr.colostate.edu.