Kettering University in Flint faculty council has appointed Babak Elahi as the dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts effective Aug. 1.
“I am very excited about Dr. Elahi’s appointment,” says James Zhang, provost at Kettering. “He is a proven academic leader and a respected administrator. His expertise and experience will provide critical leadership to the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts. Dr. Elahi’s strong commitment to teaching and learning, research excellence and academic leadership make him the perfect fit for the position.”
Elahi has been interim dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts since Jan. 2023. He joined Kettering in 2019 as the department head of liberal arts. He teaches literature, film studies, and technical communication as well as sophomore and senior seminar in the liberal arts department.
“I’m excited to bring my vision for the college to my colleagues and the university,” says Elahi. “It is sobering because this comes with a lot of responsibility to students, faculty, and staff. I’m confident I can provide the leadership the college needs right now.”
In addition, Elahi has served on the university’s board of trustees committee on institutional advancement and alumni relations, on the president’s taskforce on realignment and reinvention, as a faculty liaison to the CSLA Advisory Cabinet, and on the working group on employee satisfaction and fulfillment.
Before joining Kettering, Elahi was a professor of communication and literature in the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology. He served as associate dean there from 2011 to 2016.
Elahi earned a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Rochester, a master of arts degree in English and American literature from the University of California – San Diego, and a bachelor of arts degree in English and comparative literature from San Diego State University.
He is a member of the Academic Advisory Council for the Neda Nobari Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco University. He is also a member of the Middle Eastern Studies Association, the Association for Iranian Studies, and the Modern Language Association.
