The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce that Michelle Crimi, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering & Management, has been appointed interim dean of the Graduate School, effective April 12, 2021.
She will succeed Kerop Janoyan, who assumed the role of Provost at LaVerne University on April 5, 2021. Under Janoyan’s leadership the graduate school evolved through the merger of Union Graduate College with Clarkson University in 2017.
“Professor Crimi is a respected scholar with expertise in groundwater contaminant remediation and entrepreneurial science and engineering. She brings to the role a strong leadership record that includes serving as director of the engineering and management program in the Reh School of Business as well as principal investigator of multiple major research grants. Her experiences with both professional and research graduate programs, supporting the success of graduate students, and her experience managing complex teams and agendas bring the stability and vision we need in this role,” said Provost Robyn Hannigan.
“Professor Crimi’s demonstrated commitment to academic excellence, diversity, research training, graduate education, and multi-institutional partnerships makes her the ideal leader to support graduate students and to advance the graduate education enterprise at Clarkson University and to support our ambitious goals in support of the university’s strategic framework,” Hannigan added.
Dr. Crimi joined the Clarkson University faculty in 2008 in the Environmental Health Sciences and Environmental Science and Policy programs. A Clarkson alumna, Crimi earned her B.S. in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Toxicology and her M.S. in Environmental Health and Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Prior to coming to Clarkson, she held a faculty appointment in the Department of Environmental Health at East Tennessee University.
As an environmental scientist and entrepreneur, Crimi specializes in developing in situ treatment technologies for groundwater contamination, determining the impact of groundwater technologies on aquifer quality, and integrating treatment technologies for optimized risk reduction. She directed the Engineering and Management program from 2017-2021 and currently serves as the chair of the university research advisory committee.
Crimi brings to this role prior service as an academic program and research leader. She has been actively engaged not only in research graduate student mentorship but also in professional graduate program support and recruitment. Crimi has played an integral role in building a graduate culture on the Potsdam campus and advancing collaboration and partnership across campuses through research and interdisciplinary graduate programming.
“I look forward to partnering with my colleagues and our students across our campuses to explore new and to grow our current opportunities for graduate, professional, and continuing education. We will do this by capitalizing on Clarkson’s reputation and strengths while assessing and responding to learners’ needs and anticipating tomorrow’s challenges. Our first rate educational options will become even more accessible, responsive, and in demand,” Crimi said.
As interim Dean of the Graduate School, Crimi will work with students, faculty, graduate school staff, department chairs, deans and other members of the senior leadership team to ensure sustained high-quality programs leading to all graduate degrees.
Special thanks to the search committee chair Catherine Snyder and members Tom Ortmeyer, Josh LaFave, Boris Jukic, Shannon Robinson, Hugo Irizarry-Quinones, and Joe Skufca for their attention and care in leading a successful search.
