SUBJECT:  Robert Conn Steps Down as Dean

Dear Colleagues:

It is with pride in his accomplishments but also with regret at this loss to UCSD's leadership team that we have accepted the request of Robert W. Conn to step down as Dean of the Irwin and Joan Jacobs School of Engineering and return to his position as professor of engineering on July 1, 2002.

Since 1994, under Dean Conn's leadership, the Jacobs School has risen to the ranks of the top ten public engineering schools in the nation. He strategically led the School through an unprecedented period of growth marked by a sixty-five percent increase in faculty and graduate students, and a thirty-five percent growth in undergraduates. He was pivotal to the establishment of the Center for Wireless Communications, the William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement, and Cal(IT)2. Under his watch, the Jacob School's research funding has grown from $33 million to $112 million, and now ranks third in the nation in the average research funding per faculty.

Similarly, under Dean Conn's leadership, average annual private funding for the Jacobs School has doubled, with over $145 million raised during his tenure. His impact on engineering education has been equally significant. Among other achievements, Dean Conn chaired an advisory council to President Atkinson that resulted in increased engineering funding and enrollments throughout the UC system.

This enviable legacy is due to Dean Conn's innovative thinking, strategic focus, passion for educational excellence and outstanding faculty recruitments. Please join us in thanking Dean Conn for his significant contributions to the development of the Jacobs School and to the campus.

Over the next several months, we will be working to ensure a smooth transition and will immediately begin a national search for the next dean for the Jacobs School of Engineering.

                                                Robert C. Dynes
                                                Chancellor

                                                Marsha A. Chandler
                                                Senior Vice Chancellor -- Academic Affairs