Elon University selected John Walz, the president emeritus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering, to serve as the inaugural dean of Elon University’s School of Engineering and Computing, Elon announced June 9.
Walz’s selection comes after a national confidential search process. Over the last four years, only this search and the search for the dean of students were made confidential. Five other non-confidential dean searches took place during this time period.
Walz will spearhead the opening of the school in fall 2026 as the departments of engineering and computer science merge with 20 full-time faculty members and more than 300 undergraduate students.
“The launch of the School of Engineering and Computing represents an exciting step forward for Elon University,” Elon president Connie Book said in a university press release. “Dr. Walz brings a rare combination of academic leadership, industry engagement and commitment to student-centered education.”
Walz has over 30 years of experience in the academic space, including roles at Virginia Tech, Yale University and the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering — where he served as the dean of the school.
Walz then served as the president of the Milwaukee School of Engineering, a small school in Wisconsin with less than 3,000 undergraduate students. During his time there, he led the development of a comprehensive strategic plan and helped raise over $100 million in fundraising for major projects. He also introduced a computer science program and undergraduate degrees with focuses in artificial intelligence. The school also regularly hosted a career fair that over 400 companies attended.
During his tenure, Walz also put a focus on balancing engineering with other subjects. Under Walz’s leadership, the Milwaukee School of Engineering created a music program. The school also has humanities professors for non-degree classes.
He also focused on growing the school’s diversity. A year after he started, the student population was 24% female, but rose to 35% last year.
During Walz’s presentation May 6 to Elon faculty, staff and students before being selected for the role, he said one of his main priorities would be getting the news out about Elon.
“This is a new school. It's different,” Walz said during the presentation. “We've got to market heavily to let people know we're here.”
He also said he wants to establish a vision and brand for the school as it navigates its opening.
“What do we want the brand of a graduate from the School of Engineering and Computing to be?” Walz said during the presentation. “It's got to be distinct. It can't be the same brand as NC State and Virginia Tech and these places, because they've been doing it a long time and pretty good, right? We have to have our own.”
Walz officially joins the university’s administration June 30.