Washington, March 13 (IANS) Vistasp M. Karbhari, a noted researcher and scholar, is joining a growing band of Indian-Americans heading US institutions of higher learning with his appointment as president of The University of Texas at Arlington.
A Pune university graduate, Karbhari will succeed James D. Spaniolo June 1, the university announced after the Board of Regents unanimously approved his appointment Tuesday.
Karbhari is also a published author or co-author of more than 200 scientific papers. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pune and his doctorate from the University of Delaware.
He currently is the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Prior to that, he served as professor and vice chairman of the structural engineering department at the University of California-San Diego.
“UT Arlington is an incredible institution, and I am committed to advancing UT Arlington toward Tier One status, while maintaining and strengthening excellence in both research and education and ensuring the success of our undergraduate and graduate students,” Karbhari said.
“I am honoured by the Board’s decision to name me as president, and I am looking forward to leading this wonderful university and building on the tremendous foundations laid by President Spaniolo.”
“We are fortunate to have a leader of Karbhari’s calibre take over the reins of UT Arlington, and we know he is the perfect fit to make sure excellence, accessibility and affordability remain top priorities at UT Arlington,” Regents chairman Gene Powell said.
“Karbhari has impressed us from the moment we met him, and he has our complete confidence,” he said.
With an enrolment of more than 33,800, the Texas university at Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System and the sixth largest in Texas.
Research activity has more than tripled to $71.4 million at the university over the last 10 years, with increasing expertise in bioengineering, medical diagnostics, micro-manufacturing, and defence and Homeland Security technologies among other areas.
