Honors College Staff Contacts

Dr. Dennis Savaiano Interim Dean savaiano@purdue.edu 765.494.2929

Dennis A. Savaiano is Professor of Nutrition Science and Interim Dean of the new Honors College at Purdue University. A researcher in lactose intolerance for the past 25 years, Dr. Savaiano has attempted to identify the dietary factors that can improve lactose tolerance, thus promoting adequate calcium intake for the 25% of the US population and 75% of the World's population that are lactose maldigesters.

Dr. Savaiano is a native Californian with degrees from Claremont McKenna College (BA in Biology) and the University of California at Davis (MS and PhD in Nutrition). He was a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota from 1980 through 1995, and moved to Purdue University in 1995.He served as Dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences for 15 years. He became Associate Provost in 2010, working to develop new Honors and Undergraduate Colleges and was appointed Interim Dean of the newly approved Honors College in July of 2011, with responsibility to develop the new College with a target admission date for first year students of Fall 2013.

Dr. Savaiano oversees all aspects of the development of the Honors College including curricula, faculty involvement, recruiting and student services, space planning, development, engagement, assessment, staffing and budgeting. The College, a new residential model for Purdue, will co-enroll Honors students with the academic colleges. Plans are to integrate current Honors programs at Purdue by Fall of 2012 and open the new College to Freshman in Fall of 2013.