As fourth dean of the Jonsson School, Dr. Mark W. Spong modeled excellence in research and brought transformative growth. He oversaw an enrollment increase from a little more than 2,700 students to over 7,000 students. The number of faculty members more than doubled, and the number of endowed chairs and professorships in the school tripled. Annual research expenditures and PhD student production were nearly doubled. During this same time, nine degree plans were created and four departments were developed: materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and systems engineering. Spong also created the corporate-sponsored, team-oriented capstone experience known as UTDesign, which significantly enhanced interaction with local industry and brought national recognition. To accommodate all this growth, Spong oversaw the expansion of Jonsson School facilities including the design of two new buildings for research and education, the Bioengineering and Sciences Building, and the Engineering and Computer Science West building to house mechanical engineering.
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