New IPFW chancellor will come from University of Texas at Arlington
A Purdue alumnus with deep background in both academia and business will become the chancellor of IPFW, as well as the first chancellor of Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Ronald Elsenbaumer, most recently a special advisor on entrepreneurship and economic development to the president of the University of Texas at Arlington, will become chancellor Nov. 1, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels announced this morning.
Elsenbaumer earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry with honors from the West Lafayette campus in 1973 before earning his doctorate in chemistry from Stanford.
In announcing Elsenbaumer's appointment as chancellor, Daniels said he joined the University of Texas at Arlington and served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, vice president for research and federal relations, and the director of a nano-fabrication research and teaching facility.
As a member of the faculty, he was a professor of chemistry and polymer chemistry, a professor of materials science and engineering and chair of both the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Materials Science and Engineering Program.
On the industry side, he worked for AlliedSignal from 1977-1991, starting as a laboratory scientist before rising to senior research associate and conductive polymer project leader. During his time at AlliedSignal, he managed project development all the way through market release and worked with development partner companies in Europe and Japan, according to the news release from Daniels.
“This is a pivotal time for the Fort Wayne campus, and I have absolute confidence that Ron is the right person to lead us wisely and boldly into the future. I would like to once again thank Chancellor Vicky Carwein for her service and leadership. Her success navigating a complex fiscal environment, and shaping the campus into a more efficient and effective organization will benefit the Fort Wayne community for many years,” Daniels said in the announcement.
