Grand Valley State University Provost Fatma Mili
announced the appointment of Marouane Kessentini as the new dean of
the College of Computing, effective July 6.
Kessentini is the Winegarden Professor and Associate
Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Innovation
and Technology at the University of Michigan-Flint. He also serves
as director of the National Science Foundation Industry-University
Cooperative Research Center on Pervasive AI in Michigan, the
director of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for
Undergraduates site on Digital Accessibility and as an executive
board member of the Rackham graduate school and MCity at the
University of Michigan.
GVSU Provost Fatma Mili
Image credit - Amanda Pitts
“Dr. Kessentini brings expertise, experience and a
track record of successful transformational leadership in every
position he held,” Mili said. “He will be a key player in giving
shape to the new College of Computing, the Blue Dot, and the Digital
Literacy initiative. I am really looking forward to having him on
campus engaging with the internal and external communities.”
Kessentini’s appointment comes after Grand Valley’s
Board of Trustees approved a plan to elevate and expand the current
School of Computing during a meeting in November. The as-yet-unnamed
College of Computing will help GVSU reach its goal of delivering
three times as many graduates in high-tech fields over the next 10 years.
“Having a new College of Computing at GVSU is a
transformative action by the leadership of GVSU President Philomena
V. Mantella and Provost Fatma Mili,” Kessentini said.
“With the growth of computing, artificial intelligence,
data science and cybersecurity and beyond, it’s very inspiring to
see the commitment of the university to create a new college that
hopefully would become a bridge for every single field at GVSU to
democratize computing.”
The College of Computing will be an integral part of GVSU’s Blue Dot initiative, a
technology and science hub on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, designed
to transform the way the university applies data science, artificial
intelligence and computer technology to forge new opportunities for students.
A supplemental funding bill signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at Grand Valley in December provided a $30 million boost to the Blue
Dot project while, in March, the project received a federal grant
totaling $2.5 million.
“We are very committed that all of our curriculum and
programs are built in a close and authentic partnership with
industry partners based on their needs in artificial intelligence,
human-centered design, software engineering, digital transformation
and cybersecurity,” Kessentini said. “Our students would be ready
from day one. They would have huge opportunities to be involved in
hands-on training in collaboration with those companies.”
Kessentini received bachelor’s and master’s degrees
with distinction in computer science from the University of Tunis in
2006 and 2008. In 2012, he received a doctoral degree in computer
science from the University of Montreal.
Since graduating with his Ph.D., Kessentini has spent
his career in Michigan as a leader in software quality assurance,
intelligent software engineering and artificial intelligence
engineering. His research focuses on software engineering,
artificial intelligence, big data analytics systems, mobile cloud
and edge computing and cybersecurity.
