Austin Cheney, the current chair of the School of Technology, will be the new dean for the Lumpkin College of Business and Technology starting July 1, 2019.

Cheney was one of three candidates interviewed for the position, and according to a press release, he was picked because of his ties to Eastern.

Eastern’s Provost Jay Gatrell said in a press release that Cheney understands the “mission of the college” because of a “rich history at Eastern.”

Gatrell said Cheney is a student-centered leader and has a passion for the college’s programs.

“He is committed to continued academic excellence, and he is dedicated to exploring ways in which the schools within the college can innovate, collaborate and thrive,” Gatrell said in a press release.

Cheney was appointed to chair of the School of Technology in 2013. He assisted in creating the university’s master’s degrees in Cybersecurity, Talent Development and Technology, as well as the multidisciplinary master’s in Sustainable Energy degree and Eastern’s Center for Clean Energy Research and Education (CENCERE).

Cheney earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton before earning a master’s in Business Administration from Eastern in 2016 and a doctorate in Management of Technology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, according to the press release.

“I am humbled, honored and excited to have been selected as the dean of the Lumpkin College of Business and Technology,” Cheney said. “Due to its outstanding faculty, staff, students and alums and through wonderful business and industry partnerships, Lumpkin College has a stellar reputation for its programmatic offerings and for producing successful and motivated graduates ready for employment and advanced studies.

The News staff can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].