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Purdue names next Dean of Agriculture

Purdue University has named Bernie Engel as its next Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.  Engel was chosen following an extensive national search and will begin his new role July 15^th.  Engel succeeds Karen Plaut who earlier this year became Purdue’s executive vice president for research. 

Engel has been a Purdue faculty member for 35 years and most recently served as senior associate dean of ag research and graduate education in the College of Agriculture.  Engel was department head of Ag and Biological Engineering from 2005 to 2019.  Under his leadership, ABE undergraduate and graduate programs were repeatedly ranked the country’s No. 1 biological/agricultural engineering program by U.S. News and World Report. During that time, the number of both undergraduate and graduate students in the department doubled and research expenditures more than tripled. 

Engel says he’s dedicated to fostering excellence and driving impactful initiatives that align with the University’s mission as a leading public research university and land-grant institution. 

Patrick Wolfe, Purdue provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity says Engel is the right leader to take the College of Agriculture to even greater heights of research and academic excellence.