Indian-American scientist appointed president of US university

An eminent structural engineer joined the small but expanding league of Indian-Americans heading educational institutions in the US as he was approved as president of the reputed University of Texas at Arlington.

Dr Vistasp M Karbhari, who completed his higher education from University of Pune, is at present the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

“UT Arlington is an incredible institution, and I am committed to advancing it towards Tier One status, while maintaining and strengthening excellence in both research and education and ensuring the success of our students,” Kharbari said upon his approval.

Kharbari had earlier served as professor and vice chairman of the structural engineering department at University of California-San Diego.  He is a noted researcher and scholar and has into his account more than 200 published scientific papers.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents yesterday named him as university president with effect from June 1. He was named lone finalist for the position at a Board of Regents meeting last month. Karbhari will succeed President James D Spaniolo, who announced last June his intention to step down from the top post once his successor was in place.

“We are fortunate to have a leader of Dr Karbhari’s caliber take over the reins of UT Arlington, and we know he is the perfect fit to make sure excellence, accessibility and affordability remain top priorities at UT Arlington,” Regents Chairman Gene Powell said.

“Dr Karbhari has impressed us from the moment we met him, and he has our complete confidence,” he said.

With immense teaching and administrative experience, Kharbari was the right choice for the position, said Chancellor Francisco G Cigarroa.

The 130 years-old University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the US, with nine academic universities, six health institutions and a fall 2012 enrollment of roughly 2,16,000 students.

The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state’s healthcare professionals annually.

Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the University of Texas at Arlington has an enrollment of nearly 33,800, and is the second-largest institution in the UT System and the sixth largest in Texas. (TOI)