Dr. Janet Ellzey, professor of mechanical engineering and assistant dean for international engineering education, has been appointed vice provost at The University of Texas at Austin, Provost Steven Leslie said.
Leslie also said Dr. Terri Givens, who has been a vice provost at the university since September 2006, is leaving that position Aug. 31 and will take a leave of absence during the next year while working on a fellowship with the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Givens said she will be continuing her research on immigration policies in Europe and anti-discrimination policies.
"I thank Dr. Givens for her hard work and dedication to our university and for her great vision in leading international programs and undergraduate studies as our vice provost," Leslie said.
Ellzey's appointment is effective July 16, he said.
"Janet Ellzey is regarded as one of UT's most distinguished leaders in advancing international studies and I am delighted she will be joining us as vice provost to lead the campus in this strategically important area," Leslie said.
Ellzey said, "As we move into the 21st century, we must expand our global perspective. As vice provost, I hope to provide opportunities to both our faculty and our students to learn from other societies and to collaborate on projects of international significance."
Ellzey earned her doctor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985. She joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 1990. She has managed international education programs for the Cockrell School of Engineering since 2004, first as associate director of the Chair of Free Enterprise and most recently as assistant dean. She has expanded the engineering study abroad programs to include options in Argentina, Australia, England, France, Mexico, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Turkey. Participation increased from nine to 117 students in 2008. She speaks nationally and internationally on the topic of global engineering education.
In addition to her administrative duties, Ellzey has maintained a research program that includes international research fellowships in the United Kingdom and France. She has served on National Science Foundation research panels since 1990 and published more than 90 papers and technical reports. She holds two patents. Her research specialty is combustion with an emphasis on environmental technologies. She has developed a low-emissions combustor for gas turbine applications and an incinerator for used tires that condenses usable fuel from the exhaust products.
Providing early student research experience has remained a high priority for Ellzey, who has worked with more than 25 undergraduates in addition to her 30 master's and Ph.D. students since she joined the university.
