Steve Goddard named dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Steve Goddard, senior associate to the executive vice chancellor, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and John E. Olsson Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), has been named dean of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). He will begin on June 1.

Steve Goddard

Goddard succeeds Joseph Kearney, professor in the Department of Computer Science and CLAS Fellow, who has served as interim dean since July 2018. Kearney was named interim dean after former dean Chaden Djalali left the university in July 2018.

Since joining the UNL as a faculty member in 1998, Goddard has served as the associate vice chancellor for research and the interim dean of the UNL College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, Goddard served on the UNL Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women and the ADVANCE-Nebraska Faculty Committee.

Goddard has served as a member of the board of directors for NUtech Ventures, the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corp., and the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska.

Goddard’s primary research interests are embedded, real-time, and distributed computer systems with emphases in cyber-physical systems and rate-based scheduling. With more than 100 articles and 10 patent applications, Goddard is an expert in computer systems and patent litigation, and has received more than $22 million in funding for his research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation.

“We are delighted to welcome Steve as the new dean of CLAS,” says Sue Curry, UI interim executive vice president and provost. “Steve brings a foundational commitment to liberal arts and sciences as a cornerstone of higher education along with an engaged and inclusive leadership style. With new leadership, the college is poised for continued innovation and growth in education, scholarship, and engagement.”

Goddard was one of four finalists invited to the UI campus in October to participate in public forums and interview for the deanship. The search was led by a committee co-chaired by Sarah Gardial, dean of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, and David Ryfe, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Goddard received a BA in computer science and mathematics from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1985 and an MS and PhD in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and 1998, respectively. He worked in the computer industry for 13 years, including nine years as president of his own company, S.M. Goddard & Co., Inc.

His leadership appointments at the national level have included service as chair of the Technical Committee on Real-Time Systems of the IEEE Computer Society. He also is a member of the Leibniz Transactions on Embedded Systems Editorial Board and an associate editor of the ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems journal.

“The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a tremendous resource for the people of Iowa and offers such impressive programs, many them highly ranked,” says Goddard. “I am excited to work with the amazing students, faculty, and staff of the college, as well as alumni and community partners, to build on its strong legacy.”

Goddard will receive an annual salary of $372,000. His appointment must be approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.