DETROIT -- Wayne State University has announced the appointment of Howard N. Shapiro as associate vice president for Undergraduate Programs and General Education. He was vice provost at Iowa State University from 1998-2004.

Shapiro will join the university for the fall 2005 semester and assume leadership over units that support undergraduate academic programs, curriculum development and assessment. This position will combine several responsibilities in the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs to help the university reach its goals for student achievement and retention. Some of the initial areas of focus will be implementation of recent general education reforms, development of learning communities for undergraduate students and preparation for university accreditation in 2006-2007.

"Howard is a leader in his field," said Nancy S. Barrett, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position."

Shapiro has spent his 30-year academic career as a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering and administrator at Iowa State University. He co-founded and directed the Center for Building Energy Research and started the Industrial Assessment Center. He served as assistant dean in the College of Engineering from January 1997 until he assumed the position of vice provost for Undergraduate Programs in August of 1998.

Shapiro co-authored the leading textbook in engineering thermodynamics, used at more than 100 institutions worldwide. He is well known for his work on learning communities, institutional change and reform in higher education. He also has written extensively on thermodynamics, refrigeration and energy efficiency.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.