Current Issue
(Fall 2005)
Hanley Leaves Legacy of Progress
Speed School was a much smaller place when Thomas Hanley assumed his post as dean in 1991.
During Hanley's dozen years at Speed, the school's endowment grew tenfold—from less than $5 million to $50 million. Graduate student enrollment and the number of doctoral degrees awarded increased. Major new scholarships and fellowships were added. Grants and contracts in force grew from less than $2 million to more than $20 million. Three Ph.D. programs and high-tech labs and facilities were added. Speed expanded to two major new research buildings and will expand to another by 2005.
"We've laid a strong foundation," Hanley said recently. "Now it's time for Speed School to solidify our gains over the past 12 years and prepare to move to a higher level of performance and recognition."
That task will fall to a new dean, as Hanley left Speed in October to become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Auburn University in Alabama.
"I enjoyed every minute as dean of Speed School, but I wanted to move to a job with more responsibility," he added. The position at Auburn offers me that opportunity at a respected university."
As provost, Hanley is Auburn 's chief academic officer, overseeing 12 schools and colleges, information technology, the library, the graduate school and more.
Hanley's predecessor will step into a prime role, thanks to the dean's efforts during his U of L tenure. Some of his accomplishments include:
- Creation of collaborative research and service outreaches with industry and government, including the development of the Rapid Prototyping Center, the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center, a food processing program, a logistics and distribution center, a transportation innovation center, a center for infrastructure research and others
- Growth of biomedical research in collaboration with U of L's Health Sciences Center, the development of a computer vision and imaging lab, and collaboration on heart, eye, bone and other research projects.
- Development of high-tech microfabrication and nanotechnology research programs and installation of the state's first class-100 cleanroom, as well as the opening of the state's first nanotechnology core facility
- Addition of supercomputers and other high-tech equipment including the first selective laser sintering and direct metal deposition machines to make prototypes and workable parts at a Kentucky university
- Doubling of Ph.D. programs so that all departments now offer doctoral degrees
- Major expansions of Speed labs to new buildings: Lutz Hall in 1996, the Delia B. Baxter Biomedical Research Building at the Health Sciences Center in 2003 and additional labs in the Belknap Research Building, set for 2005
- Response to U of L's Challenge for Excellence initiatives, including the addition of new endowed chairs and academic and research programs
- Expansion to the international market with the addition of master's degree programs in Panama and Cairo, Egypt
- The receipt of record-breaking gifts, including a $3.3 million bequest from Paul Lutz in 1994 for programs and a $12.5 million bequest from the Charles and Theresa Grosscurth estate in 2002 for scholarships
