UTSA
Selects New Dean of Engineering
The University of Texas at San Antonio has named Zorica Pantic-Tanner to serve as the dean for the College of Engineering. She will be one of only 11 female engineering deans in the United States.
Pantic-Tanner comes to San Antonio following 12 years at San Francisco State University where she directed the School of Engineering and Computer Science and was a professor of electromagnetics. As director, she supervised the work of 29 full-time faculty and 1,600 students in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and computer science. She assumes her UTSA duties on August 1.
"UTSA is very fortunate to have Dr. Pantic-Tanner lead the university’s new College of Engineering," said Ricardo Romo, president of UTSA. "She is an exceptional engineer and administrator."
In 1997, Pantic-Tanner received a National Science Foundation grant to improve the electromagnetic compatibility component of the Center for Applied Electromagnetics, which is used for both instructional and research purposes. It is the only center on the West Coast that supports comprehensive undergraduate electromagnetic compatibility research and curriculum.
"Dr. Pantic-Tanner was the top choice of the search committee," said UTSA Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Guy Bailey. "With an impressive record in both administration and research, we feel she will provide strong leadership in the reaffirmation of the accreditation, and in the development of new doctoral programs."
Before joining SFSU in 1989, Pantic-Tanner worked five years in the Electromagnetics & Communications Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From 1975-82, she was a member of the engineering faculty at the University of Nish in Yugoslavia, where she earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
As a researcher, Pantic-Tanner has taught and conducted research in the areas of electromagnetic field theory, applied electromagnetics and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). She has published more than 70 conference and journal papers in these areas.
She developed and taught several EMC-related courses at San Francisco State University and San Jose State University as a senior member of the International Electromagnetic Compatibility Education Committee. For this effort, she was awarded a Certificate of Achievement at the 1994 International EMC Symposium in Chicago. Pantic-Tanner also serves on the board of directors of the Pacific Southwest section of the American Association for Engineering Education.
"I am delighted to join UTSA as dean of the College of Engineering," said Pantic-Tanner. "Exciting times lie ahead of us while the University is on track to become a flagship institution, and the College of Engineering should play a key role in the transitional process."