After serving as the dean of Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science for six years, Charles R. Westgate will be stepping down at the end of the semester. He has seen the school grow both in size and renown during his tenure.
Since Westgate’s arrival, the number of faculty in the school has increased by 65 percent and the number of research awards the school has received has doubled.
Westgate, however, is quick to credit the school’s success to Watson’s faculty and students.
‘With our outstanding students and faculty, a great deal of growth has occurred across the school,’ he said.
A native of Broome County, Westgate received his bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his doctorate from Princeton University. He was originally appointed the dean of Watson on June 1, 2001, when he replaced the retiring and founding dean of the school, Lyle D. Feisel.
‘I had originally planned to stay for five years,’ he said, ‘but stayed for six to help with our [Watson’s] accreditation visit ‘ and to deal with some critical faculty hiring.’
While Westgate is stepping down as dean, he plans to remain at BU teaching part time.
‘I want to spend whatever productive years I have to return to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels,’ he said. ‘I taught undergraduates while I was dean and enjoyed it greatly.’
Westgate will also teach part time at Johns Hopkins University next year, where he taught for 35 years before arriving at BU. He also plans to further develop research that he has been working on.
He said he considers one of his greatest achievements while serving as dean to be the increased teaching space the engineering building has received over the past several years.
‘I am especially happy with the new instructional facilities and the funding gained for a new engineering building,’ Westgate added.
Westgate saw the opening of the first of the Innovative Technologies Complex in October of last year, built with a $15 million grant from New York state.
Equipped with modern laboratories, a clinic, conference rooms and office space for faculty and students, the building is geared toward bioengineering- and biotechnology-related research.
Westgate also said that the University has already chosen his successor, but has yet to make a formal announcement.