Three SMU Deans Reappointed To Five-Year Terms
The academic deans leading SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering, Dedman School of Law and Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences have been reappointed to serve in their positions for an additional five years.
Marc Christensen, dean of the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering and Lyle Professor of Engineering Innovation, has served as dean since 2013. Christensen is regarded as a leader in photonics – the science and technology of light. He received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2001 and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1998, both from George Mason University. He received a B.S. in Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 1993.
Jennifer Collins, Judge James Noel Dean and professor of law at Dedman School of Law, has served as dean since 2014. A former federal prosecutor and a legal scholar, Collins earned her J.D., magna cum laude, in 1991 from Harvard University, where she also served as an Editor for the Harvard Law Review. She received her B.A., cum laude with Distinction in the Major (History) from Yale University in 1987. She joined SMU from Wake Forest, where she served as vice provost and professor of law.
Thomas DiPiero, dean of Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and professor in the departments of World Languages and Literatures, and English, has served as dean since 2014. DiPiero earned a Ph.D. in Romance Studies in 1988 and an M.A. in Romance Studies in 1984, both from Cornell University. He earned an M.A. in Romance Languages and Literature in 1980 and a B.A. in French in 1978, both from The Ohio State University. He joined SMU from the University of Rochester, where he was dean of humanities and interdisciplinary studies in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering.
