Y.T. Shah Named Norfolk State University Provost

 

Norfolk, Va.—Y.T. Shah has been named provost of Norfolk State University, effective July 1. Shah will be second-in-command to the president and serve as the chief academic officer and senior vice president for the institution. Shah comes to Norfolk State with more than 35 years of higher education experience and more than 10 years of experience as a university-wide senior administrator.

As provost, Shah will manage the university’s five schools. His major responsibilities include engaging in strategic planning, fiscal decision-making, resource allocation and objective review and evaluation of academic programs; working directly with deans, faculty, major university committees, the Board of Visitors and external governing agencies to improve the university; promoting academic excellence; providing creative and dynamic academic leadership in curriculum development and in the implementation of technology; and collaborating in the development of student retention strategies.

Prior to NSU, Shah served as the director of the Center for Advanced Fuel Technology at the University of Central Missouri as well as provost. He also served as provost and executive vice chancellor for six years at the University of Missouri-Rolla where he was chief academic officer, overseeing all academic programs as well as the enrollment management, pre-college programs, information technology, research and sponsored programs, technology transfer, undergraduate and graduate studies programs, distance and continuing education and international programs. From 1997-2001, he served as the senior vice president for research and graduate studies and chief research officer at Clemson University. Prior to his appointment at Clemson, Shah was a distinguished professor and dean of the College of Engineering at Drexel University from 1991-1997 and a university professor and dean of the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at the University of Tulsa from 1987-1991.

An expert in chemical engineering, Shah has published or refereed more than 200 books, book chapters or reviews; served as an invited lecturer or presenter at more than 40 conferences; and has served as a principal or co-principal research investigator for a host of grants and awards from several agencies.

He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology