Kelley Named Dean of Engineering and Computer Science

Dr. Benjamin S. Kelley, P.E., acting dean and professor in the School of Engineering at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., has been appointed dean of Baylor University's School of Engineering and Computer Science by Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. The appointment is effective July 1. Dr. James D. Bargainer, current dean of the school, will retire in the summer.
"We were very impressed with the ideas that Dr. Kelley presented to us about the future of our School of Engineering and Computer Science," said Dr. Donald D. Schmeltekopf, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "He has the academic, as well as the administrative experience, to come in and hit the ground running. He's a very thoughtful person with a lot of energy. I believe the School of Engineering and Computer Science faculty members are pleased with this selection."
"I'm very, very excited about coming to Waco and to Baylor," Kelley said. "Dean Bargainer has done a wonderful job and leaves the school and the position in a strong way. I look forward to coming and helping the school through the next phases of growth."
A graduate of Auburn University, Kelley earned his master's degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky. He joined the faculty at Mercer in 1988 as associate professor of mechanical engineering and was later named assistant dean. In 1992, Kelley was appointed professor and department chair for biomedical and environmental engineering, a program that, under his leadership, developed into one of the university's largest undergraduate programs.
Aside from teaching, Kelley represents Mercer on numerous initiatives, including the Co-Curricular Task Force, the Medical School Admissions Committee, the Academic Council and acts on behalf of the president as the university's NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative. In recognition of his campus-wide contributions and leadership, Kelley was named the university's 1996-97 Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year.
Prior to Mercer, Kelley worked at the University of Kentucky in the department of mechanical engineering and Wenner-Gren Engineering Laboratory as a graduate research and teaching assistant from 1979 to 1983. At the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Ala., Kelley was head of the Polymer Technology Section & Biomedical Engineering Section from 1983 to 1988. He also was the senior research engineer in the applied sciences department while at SRI.
Kelley served as visiting faculty member at the Duke University/NSF Engineering Research Center during the summers of 1989 and 1990. He traveled to Kazakhstan and eastern Europe in 1994 and 1995 as a visiting faculty fellow of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies. Kelly is the author of numerous technical and educational publications, and his professional affiliations include the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education and the Biomedical Engineering Society. Kelley serves his community through such organizations as the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences Board of Directors and the Macon/Bibb County Chamber of Commerce.
Kelley and his wife, Katherine Fowler Kelley, have four children: Aaron, Robin, Shannon and Jordan Minh Yen. The Kelleys currently are members of Martha Bowman Memorial United Methodist Church.