Correction Appended

With more than a year remaining in his term as dean of the College of Engineering, Stephen Director announced yesterday that he will become provost and senior vice president of Drexel University on June 1.

“It’s coming near the end of my term,” Director said. “I feel very good about the accomplishments that the administration, the faculty and I have made, but I felt it was time to face some different challenges.”

As provost, Director’s responsibilities will include overseeing curriculum and faculty at Drexel, the 20th largest private university in the country.

University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said such a transition — moving from a large university like the University of Michigan to a more powerful position at a smaller school like Drexel — is common.

“A lot of people will choose to move up the ladder by moving to a smaller institution,” Peterson said. “We’ve had some people who were vice presidents become presidents at smaller institutions.”

In a survey that faculty took last fall to evaluate University administrators, Director had one of the lowest scores among more than 100 administrative leaders in the category “inspires confidence in overall leadership.” On the survey — administered by the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs — Director scored an average of 2.43 out of a possible 5 points in that category, in which 162 of the 401 eligible faculty members voted. The numbers point toward a general dissatisfaction with his leadership.

Director also scored poorly in the area of including faculty in decision-making processes. Faculty gave him a 2.01 out of 5 in that area.

Director, who said he had not seen the survey, discounted its credibility because only a small percentage of faculty members voted. He said dissatisfaction among faculty members was not among the reasons he had sought new employment.

“I always consult the faculty and will continue to do so,” Director said.

In its 2002 rankings, U.S. News and World Report ranked the University’s undergraduate engineering program fourth strongest in the country. By 2003, it had fallen to sixth. Currently, it ranks seventh and the graduate program ranks eighth. But all of the college’s departments are now in the top 10 of their respective categories.

“Deans always have their supporters and detractors,” University Provost Paul Courant said. “Dean Director is no exception.”

Courant said Director is leaving the College of Engineering in a good position to thrive.

“His accomplishments have been quite extraordinary,” Courant said. “His impact on the college will be something people notice for a long time.”

Director has served as dean for nine years, the third-longest reign of any dean of the College of Engineering in University history.

During his tenure, the college’s student population increased by 1,000, and the annual operating budget grew from $186 million to $273 million.

“He’s basically managed the college through very difficult financial situations,” said Tamas Gombosi, chair of the atmospheric, oceanic and space science department. “The college is in very good shape.”

Director oversaw the foundation of the college’s 11th academic department, the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Construction began on three privately funded buildings during his time as dean. So far, one has been completed: the Carl A. Gerstacker Building, which houses the biomedical engineering department. An expansion of the Solid-State Electronics Laboratory is scheduled to begin next month.

No decision has been made on who will be appointed as interim dean. Courant said he plans to appoint a search advisory committee before the end of the semester. He added that the interim dean will most likely serve for one year, until June 31, 2006.

“It will be a time when we will obviously need to regroup a bit and have a diligent search for a new dean,” said Richard Larson, department chair of the chemical engineering department. “The college is a very large and well-run enterprise. There will be a pause in the strategic direction, but Director’s plans will be carried out.”