Kettering University appoints Interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts
Dr. Babak Elahi has been named Interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts at Kettering College after his tenure as the Department Head of Liberal Arts since 2019.
Kettering University has selected Dr. Babak Elahi to be the new Interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts starting January 23.
University Provost Dr. James Zhang spoke on the appointment in a press release on Kettering’s website, saying, “I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Elahi for his willingness to serve as the Interim Dean. I look forward to working with him as he brings a strong commitment to teaching and learning, research excellence and academic leadership.”
Dr. Elahi started at Kettering College back in 2019 as the Department Head of Liberal Arts. He teaches classes on technical communication, film studies, and literature, as well as a senior and sophomore seminar in the Liberal Arts Department.
On the topic of his appointment, Dr. Elahi said, “As a humanist, I wholeheartedly believe that we live in a time that poses wicked problems that transcend disciplines and domains. We must face these challenges together across the arts, sciences, management and engineering fields. I am excited to collaborate with colleagues across the University to ensure the continuity of Kettering's mission and innovate on that mission. I joined Kettering on its 100th birthday in 2019 as the Department Head of Liberal Arts. I'm honored now to be entrusted with this new responsibility. As Interim Dean of our dynamic College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, I will do my utmost to help lead this one-of-a-kind institution into its second century of excellence.”
Previous to his work at Kettering College, Dr. Elahi worked at Rochester Institute of Technology as Associate Dean and as a professor of literature and communication in the College of Liberal Arts from 2011 until 2016.
His education credentials come from San Diego State University, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Rochester where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Comparative Literature, a Master of Arts degree in English and American Literature, and a P.h.D in American Literature respectively.
Dr. Elahi has research interest in documentary film, modern Iranian fiction, Iranian diasporic life writing, popular culture, and American literature. He has been a translator for many Iranian works of fiction in Persian. The name of his most recent published academic article is “Reorienting Grass.” It is a study of the documentary film “Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life” from 1925. The article also looks at the subsequent score composed for it by Iranian musicians in 1992. Dr. Elahi is also a musician who has performing and writing credits on the score for the documentary “The House of Stronzo” from 2018.
More information on Kettering College can be found at the school’s website.