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Illinois professor will head Purdue engineering school

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- W. Kent Fuchs (pronounced "Fox"), a faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named head of Purdue University's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering effective July 29.

David A. Landgrebe, professor of electrical engineering who served as acting head, will return to full-time teaching and research. The previous head of the school, Richard J. Schwartz, left the position to become dean of Purdue's Schools of Engineering last summer.

"I am excited and eager to have Dr. Fuchs take over leadership of our School of Electrical and Computer Engineering," Schwartz said. "He has established a reputation for integrity and consensus-building, along with keen vision and insight, which will bring the school to new heights of excellence."

Since 1985, Fuchs has been a member of the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a research professor in the Department of Computer Science and in the Coordinated Science Laboratory.

His research has focused on dependable computing and testing and fault diagnosis of integrated circuits, and he has published more than 140 papers. As a senior, principal and co-principal investigator, he has attracted more than $4.5 million in sponsored research funding since 1985.

Fuchs also has been recognized as a versatile, dynamic teacher with a keen appreciation for the importance of undergraduate education, Schwartz said. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching and scholarship, and last year he was selected a fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has extensive experience on technical committees, editorial review boards, and in student advising.

Fuchs received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Duke University in 1977, and his master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1982 and 1985, respectively. He also holds a master of divinity degree from Trinity Divinity School, awarded in 1984.

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is Purdue's largest engineering school, with about 70 faculty members, 900 undergraduate and 550 graduate students.

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