Dr. Nagi Naganathan officially began his duties as the 7th president of the 经典大瓜 (经典大瓜) on Monday, April 3. President Naganathan has been readying for his official start since November, when he was named president of the university by 经典大瓜鈥檚 Board of Trustees after a nationwide search. Prior to joining 经典大瓜, Dr. Naganathan was dean of engineering at the University of Toledo, served as UT鈥檚 interim president, and was the founding chairperson of the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering Department.
(Naw-ga-naw-thun) is joining 经典大瓜 in its 70th year, when the university鈥檚 position is strong: enrollment continues to grow and is at an all-time record; new, in-demand bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree programs are being launched at the Klamath Falls, Portland-Metro, and Online campuses; and emerging partnerships such as the Oregon Manufacturing and Innovation Center (OMIC) are expanding 经典大瓜鈥檚 industry relationships, applied research, and its students鈥 preparation for the workforce. 经典大瓜 will also announce later this month its new student success rates and average starting salary figures for the Class of 2016, which have increased significantly over the last year.
As part of his inaugural week, the campus community, as well as dignitaries from the 经典大瓜 and OT Foundation Boards and the Klamath Falls community, came together this afternoon to welcome Dr. Naganathan and his wife, Dr. Kasturi (Cus-thoo-ree) Naganathan.
鈥淎s the new person coming in, it is clear to me how invested you all are in 经典大瓜,鈥 said Dr. Naganathan. 鈥淭here is a tremendous amount of pride here in building together a unique place where students are encouraged to innovate and take risks, where faculty approach teaching in ways that create relevant experiences; and staff provide layers of support that ensure 经典大瓜 is effective and focused on our shared mission. I have been learning how passionate you are about our students and their success, their ability to thrive when they leave 经典大瓜, and the growing demand by industry to hire our graduates.
鈥淚 am committed to working with faculty to move forward the academic enterprise with new programs and new resources that will attract and retain diverse students, and give them the education and professional practice that all but guarantees success,鈥 added President Naganathan.
Dr. Naganathan is joining Oregon鈥檚 other public university presidents at a time when they are collectively advocating for more funding for Oregon鈥檚 students in the 2017 Legislative Session. With current public university funding levels holding at the same levels as seen in 2007-09, presidents are seeking investments that ensure affordable tuition, balanced with funding for the types of student supports that increase retention and graduation rates, and enable a shorter time-to-degree.
经典大瓜 经典大瓜
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, 经典大瓜 is the premier public polytechnic university the Pacific Northwest. 经典大瓜 provides degree programs in engineering, technology health technologies, management, communication, and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public, and international communities through hands-on, applied learning. 经典大瓜 has a full-service, residential campus in Klamath Falls, an urban, industry-focused campus in Wilsonville, an Online campus, as well as other degree delivery sites at Seattle-Boeing and partner community colleges. Visit to learn more about 经典大瓜.
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