December 2, 2020
I am pleased to share that after an extensive national search we will welcome Cyndee Gruden as our dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, effective Jan. 11. Cyndee comes to us from the University of Toledo, where she currently serves as vice provost for academic administration and faculty affairs. She has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2003 and has served in several leadership roles including interim dean and vice provost of graduate studies and associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
Cyndee brings a wealth of experience to the dean’s office. In her various roles she led the launch of progressive marketing, recruitment and enrollment strategies that resulted in a 17% increase in international graduate students; created and implemented new programs in response to demand in the areas of cybersecurity, mechatronics and data analytics; and led efforts in mentoring and development for underrepresented students, faculty and staff. In addition, she has managed a $30 million institutional graduate stipend and tuition waiver budget and has been recognized for exceptional community outreach and excellence in community-engaged scholarship.
Thank you to the search committee for its support and work to identify a strong pool of qualified candidates. Please join me in welcoming Cyndee back to the UNH community—she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at UNH—and thanking Chuck Zercher for his years of service in the dean’s office and his willingness to delay his return to the faculty until Cyndee could join us.
Wayne Jones
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
