[caption id="attachment_614873" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Eric Baumgartner. Photo credit: Milwaukee School of Engineering[/caption]
Milwaukee School of Engineering President John Walz will retire from his current role and transition to president emeritus effective Jan. 1, MSOE announced on Tuesday.
Walz became MSOE’s fifth president in 2016. As president emeritus, Walz will focus on fundraising and external outreach for the $125 million “Next Bold Step” campaign and long-term strategic priorities. MSOE announced the campaign, which will support construction of a new $76.5 million academic building called the Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center, in March.
Eric Baumgartner, who has been MSOE’s executive vice president of academics since 2017, will serve as the next president of MSOE effective Jan. 1. Baumgartner was selected through a succession planning process by the Executive Committee of the MSOE Board of Regents, according to a news release.
The leadership transition comes at a time when MSOE aims to become a leader in artificial intelligence education. In addition to building the Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center, MSOE plans to launch the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing. MSOE also recently announced a new collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin that creates a health professions pathway between the two institutions.
Walz helped create MSOE’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree with a focus on artificial intelligence. Walz also worked with Dwight Diercks, a 1990 MSOE graduate and senior vice president of software engineering with California-based tech firm NVIDIA, to develop the Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall. The building, which opened in September 2019, houses MSOE’s supercomputer, named Rosie.
Other campus changes and additions under Walz’s leadership include:
- Building the Spitzer Dining Commons and the Welcome Center.
- Transforming Roy W. Johnson Residence Hall into Hermann Viets Tower and Regents Residence Hall into Mellowes Hall.
- Expanding the Ruehlow Nursing Complex.
- Creating the We Energies STEM Center at MSOE.
- Developing Raider Stadium in partnership with Nicolet High School.
- Constructing Raiders Field.
- Acquiring a building on Knapp Street for future development.
- Acquiring and renovating the current home of the Patricia E. Kern Conservatory of Music.
With Baumgartner at the helm, MSOE “will continue to expand its graduate and continuing education programs that respond to the priorities of the businesses and industries it serves; expand alumni engagement; expand business outreach and partnerships; and continue with initiatives that further strengthen the university’s financial stature,” an MSOE news release says.
Baumgartner led MSOE’s transition from a quarter-based to a semester-based academic calendar, as well as led MSOE’s COVID-19 crisis response committee. Baumgartner has also supported the development of undergraduate and graduate programs focused on AI and machine learning.
Baumgartner “created the opportunity to broaden MSOE’s academic offerings in the health professions in collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin,” the news release said.
Before joining MSOE, Baumgartner served as Ohio Northern University’s dean of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering and a mechanical engineering professor.
Baumgartner earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
“MSOE has a deep history of impactful leadership,” said James Rahn, MSOE board chairman and president of the Kern Family Foundation. “This transition ensures a solid foundation for the next era of academic excellence and institutional growth. John Walz and Eric Baumgartner have forged a strong working relationship and share deep character, humility and love for MSOE.”
