Yannis C. Yortsos will not seek reappointment as dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering at the end of the academic year, the USC Office of the Provost announced in a press release on Monday morning. Gaurav Sukhatme, the Executive Vice Dean and Director of the USC School of Advanced Computing, will serve as the school’s interim dean beginning on July 1.
Yortsos, the longest-serving dean in Viterbi’s history, will step down from his role following the spring semester and return to a faculty position. After 21 years of service as dean and the Zohrab A. Kaprielian Chair of Engineering, he will not seek another fifth-year review and renewal of his deanship in a decision reached in agreement with the university, according to the announcement.
“Dean Yortsos’ true legacy is the strength of the Viterbi School, which is greater than it has ever been. I know I speak for many in the Viterbi community and across the university when I note that Dean Yortsos’s impact will be long-lasting for Viterbi, the field of engineering, and USC,” Provost Andrew T. Guzman wrote in the press release.
Yortsos has served in different leadership roles since 1991, when he first became chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. In 2001, he took on the role of vice dean for academic affairs and he was later named interim dean in 2005, after which he became permanent dean in 2006.
Under his leadership, 28 Viterbi faculty members were elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and more than 85 received National Science Foundation Early Career Awards, according to the release. Viterbi also gained two new research buildings and earned national recognition during his term, including the American Society for Engineering Education President’s Award in 2017.
Guzman also announced that a celebration of Yortsos’ service would be held with details to come.