Dr. Camille George, an associate professor in the University of St. Thomas' School of Engineering, has been appointed associate dean of engineering. In her new role, George will assist with the daily operations and management of the School of Engineering and provide leadership in several strategic initiatives in support of the school’s and the university's mission.
In addition to her work with undergraduate students and curriculum management, George will direct the School of Engineering’s collaborative programming in engineering for sustainability and engineering for social impact, as well as its vision for international education and global learning. She will work to coordinate efforts across campus and with various national and international networks, including the Catholic Engineering Colleges, Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) and Ashoka exchanges. She will work together with faculty and staff to help create opportunities for the development and delivery of innovative curricular and co-curricular programming, locally and globally, that emphasizes social justice, curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
George has a broad background combining both liberal arts and engineering education. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.S.M.E. and an M.S.M.E. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
She has been a faculty member at St. Thomas since 2002 and was the first program director of mechanical engineering (2009-13) and the associate vice provost for global and local engagements (2015-16). George has taught core courses in mechanical engineering and engineering courses for non-majors, and she has collaborated on interdisciplinary efforts with the Theology, Geology, Sociology, and Modern and Classical Languages departments.
Her professional engagement in development engineering has focused on designing post-harvest equipment for women at the base of the economic pyramid. For this work, she has received many honors. In 2012 she was named a Peace Exemplar by the Fetzer Institute for her collaborative work in Haiti. (View a film documenting her work here.) She also was the faculty member in the School of Engineering to encourage and implement student projects in Peace Engineering, a proactive use of engineering to create a more peaceful and just world. In 2007 she was received the Outstanding Faculty in Service-Learning Award from St. Thomas.
