NC A&T- - - Bro. Dr. Winser E. Alexander

[Professor]

A&T NAMES ALEXANDER INTERIM DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Mug: Dr. Winser E. Alexander
GREENSBORO, N.C. ( June 18, 2009) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. announced today the appointment of Dr. Winser E. Alexander as interim dean of the College of Engineering, effective July 1. This is Martin’s first appointment to the university since beginning his tenure as chancellor on June 8. Dr. Joseph Monroe, dean of the College of Engineering, will retire on June 30. A national search is being launched for a permanent dean of the College of Engineering.
“I am very pleased that we are able to appoint someone with Dr. Alexander’s extraordinary background and professional experiences as our Interim Dean of the College of Engineering,” said Martin. “The College of Engineering is an important academic unit in our efforts to fully realize our mission as well as to assist the university in more successfully contributing to the economic competitiveness of the Triad region and the State.”
“Dr. Alexander brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and familiarity to our engineering program,” said Dr. Alton Thompson, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “With his proven exemplary leadership, he is uniquely positioned to lead our College of Engineering in the three mission areas of instruction, research and engagement during this coming academic year.”
Alexander is currently a full professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at North Carolina State University, a position he has held since 1982. In addition to serving in that capacity, he served as director of the institution’s graduate programs from August 1988 to May 1997 and from June 2001 to August 2002. Alexander is also a visiting professor of electrical and computer engineering at N.C. A&T.
“It is an honor and a pleasure for me to be given the opportunity to serve as the interim dean of the College of Engineering,” said Alexander. “I am a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, I have served as a member of the faculty in electrical engineering and I have collaborated with faculty in the electrical and computer engineering and computer sc ience departments on research projects over the past several years.”
He adds, “The College of Engineering at A&T is respected nationally for its technical achievements and it has been a leading producer in the country of African American engineers at the bachelor’s level, at the master’s level and at the doctoral level. I hope to provide the leadership for the College of Engineering to continue and enhance that tradition during my tenure as interim dean.”
Alexander’s research spans the areas of digital signal processing, genomic signal processing, parallel algorithms, and parallel computer architecture. His teaching interests involve digital signal processing, application specific and special purpose computer system architecture and digital system design.
Prior to becoming a professor at North Carolina State, Alexander was a professor and chair of the department of electrical engineering at A&T (1976-1982). During his tenure, the department established a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and increased its research funding by more than a factor of 10. For six months (1/76-6/76), he served as an associate professor of electrical engineering and assistant dean of the College.
Prior to his appointment as chair of the department of electrical engineering at A&T, he was a member of the technical staff at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico from 1964-1966 and from1970-1976, and an electronics officer for the U.S. Air Force from 1966-1969.
A native of Columbia, N.C., Alexander’s professional activities include a life senior member of IEEE and IEEE Societies on Computers, Circuits and Systems and Signal Processing; and member of Sigma Xi, Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society, and Board of Director for Phi Lambda Educational Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He is also a registered professional engineer for the state of North Carolina.
Alexander is highly recognized in the field of engineering. He has received numerous honors and awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the White House Office of Science and Technology and the National Science Foundation (1998). He also received the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Minorities in Engineering Award for Leadership in the Conception, Organization and Operation of Precollege and College Activities to Increase Participation of Minorities in Engineering (1993), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Dr. Janice A. Lumkin Educator of the Year Award (2000).
His patents are Winser E. Alexander, System for Enhancing Fine Detail in Thermal Photographs , U.S. Patent Number 3, 541,333, November 17, 1970 and Jens P. Dybwad, Winser E. Alexander and Carl P. Zinnow, A Microbalance System, U.S. Patent Number 3, 753,472, August 21, 1973.
Alexander received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from A&T and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the same discipline from The University of New Mexico.