NPS Presidents & Provosts - Dudley Knox Library

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NPS Presidents' History

NPS Presidents' History

The Naval Postgraduate School began in 1909 as the School of Marine Engineering at Annapolis.  It was renamed twice as its mission and scope of operations expanded, becoming the Postgraduate Department of the Naval Academy in 1912 and the Naval Postgraduate School after World War I.  The President's title was established in 2004 (U.S. Code Title § 7042).

NPS Presidents

Presidents at NPS

VADM Ann E. Rondeau (Ret.) 2019 -

Retired Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau was appointed as President, Naval Postgraduate School on January 29, 2019. She brings to the assignment an unparalleled record of leadership and achievement within the military and academia in the areas of education, training, research, executive development, change management, and strategic planning. Prior to her appointment, Adm. Rondeau served as the sixth president of the College of DuPage. Her most recent military position was as the President of the National Defense University, a consortium of five colleges and nine research centers in Washington, DC. 

Rondeau has extensive leadership experience in significant military and educational roles. In 1985, she was selected and served as a White House Fellow in the Reagan Administration and spent two years as National Security Advisor to the U.S. Attorney General.  She served in myriad command and operational leadership assignments, including ASW, Ops Intel, Fleet Support, Military Sealift, joint logistics, Installations Management and Training and Education.  In staff positions she engaged in plans, operations and policies, political-military affairs, military and maritime strategy as well as intragovernmental and interagency policies, projects and coordination and international military education.

As a Flag Officer, Rondeau served in leadership positions in installations and education and training as the President of National Defense University, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command in Illinois, Pentagon Director/Chief of Staff for the U.S. Navy Staff, Commander of the Navy Personnel Development Command in Virginia, Commander of the Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes, Ill., and Deputy for Shore Installations on Commander Pacific Fleet Staff.  Rondeau retired from the U.S. Navy as a three-star admiral in 2012 and was the second woman to have achieved that rank in the Navy. She then served as a partner and later an independent consultant with the IBM Watson group, followed by her present assignment.

President Rondeau's leadership has served many other purposes, past and present, to include: Board of Directors, United States Institute of Peace; Board of Directors, German Marshall Fund; Admissions Committee, University of Memphis and United States Naval Academy; Board of Directors, The Atlantic Council; Arlington National Cemetery Advisory Committee; Board of Directors, Yorktown Institute; Board of Directors, National Museum of the American Sailors; Board of Directors, Council of Higher Education Accreditation; Board of Directors, Chicago Regional Growth Corporation; Board of Directors, Choose DuPage (regional development organization for Chicago northwest suburbs); Tennessee/Mid-South Economic Development Board; DoD liaison to the Center for the Study of the Presidency; CNA Military Advisory Board (studying energy and environment impacts on national security); Flag Officer Advisory Council for Arizona State University, Board of Trustees for Princeton Theological Seminary, the National Naval Officers Association Senior Advisory Panel, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission and the National Cold War Veterans Memorial Design Steering Committee among others. Further, she currently serves as an Independent Director for Quanta West, LLC and LUMA Energy, LLC and as a consultant for Quanta Services, Inc (PWR).

Rondeau holds a B.A. from Eisenhower College (NY), an M.A. from Georgetown University (DC) and an Ed.D. from the College of Education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. She also holds an honorary Doctorates in Public Service from Carthage College (Kenosha, WI) and in Humane Letters from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (Chicago, IL).

Read VADM Ann E. Rondeau's Navy Biography.

VADM Ronald A. Route (Ret.) (5)   2013 - 2018

Ronald Route, VADM (Ret.)

Retired Vice Adm. Ronald A. Route came to the appointment as President, Naval Postgraduate School with over twenty years of leadership experience at the senior executive and operational level, which included responsibilities in graduate education, program requirements and resources, international affairs, research and development, and ethics.
Route’s significant career assignments include President of the Naval War College, and Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command. He also served in two earlier flag officer assignments leading major divisions on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO):  Director of Navy Programming and Director, Politico-Military Affairs.

Learn more about VADM Ronald A. Route.

VADM Janet Tighe (5)   2012-2013

Janet Tighe, RDML (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Jan Tighe was appointed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to the position of Interim President of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in November 2012.

 

 

 

Learn more about VADM Janet Tighe.

 

VADM Daniel Oliver (Ret.) (5)   2007-2012

Vice Admiral Daniel T. Oliver USN (Ret.)Vice Admiral Daniel T. Oliver USN (Ret.) was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to be President of the Naval Postgraduate School as of 1 April 2007.  

 

 

 

 

Learn more about VADM Daniel Oliver.

Dr. Leonard Ferrari, Acting (5)   2007-2007

Dr. Leonard Ferrari

Dr. Leonard A. Ferrari was appointed Executive Vice President and Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in July 2006. Upon assuming the post of Provost, Dr. Ferrari spearheaded a new Strategic Plan initiative, proposed new collaborative efforts with regional research and education institutions and launched new efforts to make campus academic and business processes more effective.

 

Learn more about Dr. Leonard Ferrari.

COL David Smarsh, Acting (5)   2006-2006

Colonel David Smarsh

COL David Smarsh became the Acting President and Chief of Staff of the Naval Postgraduate School in 2006,, shortly after the Navy school's aeronautical engineering program was transferred to the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.  NPS gained its meteorology program  under his guidance, and as a result, an increase in Air Force officer students. He recieved the Legion of Merit for his work at NPS.

Learn more about COL David Smarsh.

RDML Richard Wells, Acting (5)   2005-2006

Rear Admiral Richard Wells

Rear Admiral Richard Wells served as NPS superintendent upon two occasions. This was his second appointment, following RDML Patrick Dunne. 

Rear Admiral Wells first served from May 2000 to September 2000, and retired from the Navy in June 2001. He later served the Naval Postgraduate School as superintendent from 2005-2006.

 

Learn more about RDML Richard Wells.

RDML Patrick Dunne (4)   2004-2005

Rear Admiral Patrick Dunne was a graduate of the NPS Department of Mathematics.

Learn more about RDML Patrick Dunne.

RADM David R. Ellison (4)   2000-2004

Read a biography of RADM David R. Ellison.

RADM Richard Wells, Acting (4)   2000-2000

Rear Admiral Richard Wells

Rear Admiral Richard Wells served as NPS superintendent upon two occasions. This was his first appointment, following RADM Robert C. Chaplin.

Rear Admiral Wells first served as Superintendent, Naval Postgraduate School from May 2000 to September 2000. He retired from the Navy in June 2001. He later served the Naval Postgraduate School as superintendent from 2005-2006.

 

Learn more about RDML Richard Wells.

RADM Robert C. Chaplin (4)   1998-2000

RADM Robert C. Chaplin

In January 1979, Admiral Chaplin reported to Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California and earned a Master of Science degree in Computer Systems Management. In July 1996, Rear Admiral Chaplin was promoted to Flag Rank and in November reported as Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. SEVENTH FLEET. In March, 1998 Admiral Chaplin received his second star and became the Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School.

Learn more about RADM Robert C. Chaplin.

CAPT James M. Burin, Acting (4)   1997-1998

Captain James M. Burin In January 1972 Captain James M. Burin received orders to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He graduated in September 1974 with a Master of Science degree with distinction in Operations Research.

In July of 1995 Captain Burin reported to the Naval Postgraduate School to serve as the Director, School of Aviation and Safety. In 1997 he assumed the position of Superintendent, Naval Postgraduate School.

 

Learn more about CAPT James M. Burin.

RADM Marsha Johnson Evans (4)   1995-1997

RADM Marsha Evans

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Marsha Johnson Evans.

RADM Thomas A. Mercer (4)   1993-1995

RADM Thomas MercerRear Admiral Thomas A. Mercer attended the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California and was awarded a Master of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in October 1969.  He was assigned as Superintendant, Naval Postgraduate School, in January 1993.

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Thomas A. Mercer.

RADM Ralph W. West, Jr. (4)   1989-1993

RADM Ralph West

Rear Admiral Ralph W. West, Jr., assumed duties as Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School in July 1989. 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Ralph W. West, Jr.

RADM Robert C. Austin (4)   1986-1989

RADM Robert AustinRobert C. Austin served as Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School beginning in July 1986.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Robert C. Austin

RADM Robert H. Shumaker (4) 1983-1986

RADM Robert ShumakerRobert H. Shumaker assumed duties as Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School on 21 October 1983.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Robert H. Shumaker

RADM John Joseph Ekelund (4) 1980-1983

RADM John Ekelund

RADM John Joseph Ekelund became the Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School on 24 January 1980.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM John Joseph Ekelund

RADM Tyler F. Dedman (4) 1978-1980

RADM Tyler Dedman

Rear Admiral Dedman became Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California in February 1978.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Tyler F. Dedman

RADM Isham W. Linder (4) 1974-1978

RADM Isham Linder

Rear Admiral Isham W. Linder assumed the post of Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School on June 25, 1974.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Isham W. Linder

RADM Mason B. Freeman (4) 1972-1974

RADM Mason B. Freeman

RADM Mason B. Freeman served as Superintendant of the Naval Postgraduate school March 1972 until June 28, 1974, relieved by RADM Isham W. Linder, USN.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Mason B. Freeman

RADM Alexander Scott Goodfellow, Jr. (4) 1971-1972

RADM Alexander Scott Goodfellow

In April, 1971, Rear Admiral Goodfellow was ordered to assume an assignment as Superintendant, Naval Postgraduate School.  He retired from the Navy in June, 1972.

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Alexander Scott Goodfellow

RADM Robert Waring McNitt (4) 1967-1971

RADM Robert McNitt

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Robert Waring McNitt

RADM Edward J. O'Donnell (4) 1965-1967

Rear Adm. E.J. O'Donnell was appointed Superintendent, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in January 1965, marking the fifth consecutive former NPS student to hold that title. He retired in 1967.

Learn more about RADM Edward J. O'Donnell.

RADM Charles K. Bergin (4) 1963-1964

RADM Charles BerginRADM Charles K. Bergin came to Monterey from command of the Operational Test and Evaluation Force with headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, appointed as Superindendent in August 1963.

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Charles K. Bergin.

RADM Marshall E. Dornin (4) 1961-1963

RADM Marshall DorninRear Adm. Marshall E. Domin, former commander of a Pacific Fleet destroyer flotilla, took over the  superintendency of the Naval Postgraduate School on Wednesday, 15 March 1961.

 

 

 

 

Read more about RADM Marshall E. Dornin

RADM Elmer E. Yeomans (4) 1958-1961

RADM Yeomans was Superintendent of the US Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, from December 1957  until March 1961, a period during which NPS was again certified by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), in 1959. 

Learn more about RADM Elmer E. Yeomans

RADM Earl E. Stone (4) 1955-1957

RADM Earl E. Stone

Rear Admiral Earl E. Stone was a Naval Postgraduate School alumnus, the first former student to hold the  position of Superintendent.  He served as the school’s  from December 1955 until December 1957, a period that saw NPS's first women student offers arrive in January 1956.

RADM Stone's papers are held by the Dudley Knox Library's Special Collections & Archives.  Explore the collection.

 

Learn more about RADM Earl E. Stone

RADM Frederick Moosbrugger (4) 1952-1955

RADM Frederick Moosbrugger

Under the leadership of Frederick Moosbrugger, NPS was accredited by Western Associaton of Schools and Colleges, validating the authority of the Superintendent to confer degrees recognized and accepted by the rest of the academic world.

 

 

 

Learn more about RADM Frederick Moosbrugger

RADM Ernest Edward Herrmann (4) 1950-1952

RADM Ernest Edward Herrmann

When RADM Herrmann became commanding officer of NPS, he was the first flag officer on active duty to hold the position.  It was under his supervision that the Naval Postgraduate School was moved from USNA Annapolis to NPS Monterey.  On Dec. 22 of that year, NPS began a new phase.  In his opening address, Herrman noted that NPS "was created to foster and encourage a program of research in order to sustain academic excellence."

Herrmann served as Superintendent of the Postgraduate School from June 1950 until his death at NPS on November 19, 1952.

A portrait of RADM Herrmann, commissioned by the NPS community, is today displayed on the Dudley Knox Library's second floor.

Herrmann Hall, once the elegant centerpiece of the Del Monte Hotel, was renamed in his honor as Herrmann Hall in 1956. 

Learn more about RADM Ernest Edward Herrmann

CAPT Herman Adolf Spanagel (3) 1944-1947

RADM Herman A. Spanagel

Rear Admiral Herman A. Spanagel acted as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School from June, 1944, through June 1950, contributing significantly to the Navy's postgraduate educational program in the period before the move from Annapolis to Monterey. NPS' Spanagel Hall was named in his honor.

Learn more about RADM Herman Adolf Spanagel

CAPT Vincent Raphael Murphy (3) 1943-1944

In January 1943 Vice Admiral Murphy was ordered to duty as Head of the Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland, with additional duty as Officer in Charge of Officers of the Chinese Navy under postgraduate instruction at the Naval Academy and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He served until July 1944.

Read more about CAPT V.R. Murphy.

CAPT Elwood M. Tillson (3) 1942-1943

Capt. E.M. Tillson was named Acting Head of the Postgraduate School in November, 1942.

Read more about CAPT Elwood M. Tillson.

CAPT James Alexander Logan (3) 1940-1942

CAPT James Logan' period as Head of the Postgraduate School spanned the period before Pearl Harbor, as a sense of national emergency was growing. It was during his tenure that the school's curricula was revised to to shorten the time needed to prepare naval officers with necessary technical training, increasing the numbers of officers prepared for service.

Read more about CAPT James Alexander Logan.

CAPT George V. Stewart (3) 1936-1940

Capt. G.V. Stewart replaced Capt. John H. Newton as Head of the Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland, on Sept. 8, 1936. 

Learn more about CAPT George V. Stewart.

CAPT John H. Newton (3) 1933-1936

Capt. J.H. Newton succeeded Frank Sadler as Head of the Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland, on June 8, 1933.  He served until June 7, 1937.

Learn more about CAPT John H. Newton

CAPT Frank Howard Sadler (3) 1931-1933

CAPT Sadler had charge of the Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland, from 1931-1933.

Read more about CAPT Frank Howard Sadler.

RADM Albert T. Church (3) 1927-1931

For the first time since Capt. Ernest King served as Head of NPS, an 0-6, Capt. A.T. Church, read orders placing Theobald in command of the school in 1927. On June 10, 1931 Capt. Church turned over command of NPS to Capt. F.H. Sadler, thus ending what had to date been the longest continuous assignment in that position: three years and nine months.

Learn more about RADM Albert T. Church

LCDR Robert A. Theobald (3) 1924-1927

Robert Alfred Theobald served as executive officer of the Naval Postgraduate School from 1919 to 1921, then spent the years 1922 through 1924 serving in Destroyer Command, United States Asiatic Fleet, before returning to the Postgraduate School to serve as its commanding officer from 1924 to 1927. This was the final occasion upon which an officer below O-6 rank was to serve as commanding officer, marking a recommitment to the advanced training of career Naval officers.

Learn more about LCDR Robert A. Theobald

RADM Albert Miller Penn (3) 1923-1924

In 1923, the Head of the Postgraduate School was vested in theLt. Cmdr. A.E. Penn, who replaced a commander.  This controversial appointment seemed to signal that the School's significance to the training of Naval officers was diminished in the eyes of leadership, and strong objections came from the Department of the Navy.

Learn more about RADM Albert Miller Penn

CDR Alexander Sharp, Jr., 1922-1923

Following service during WWI, Vice Admiral Sharp returned to Annapolis, Maryland, and in November, In November 1921, took his place as executive officer, and later Head of the Postgraduate School. He served until 1923.

Read more about CDR Alexander Sharp, Jr.

CDR Joseph Otto Fisher, Acting  (3) 1921-1922

CDR Joseph Otto Fisher, became Acting Head of the School following his service with Naval Forces in Europe during the "Great War",  from 1921 until 1922.  He retired from service in 1928.

Read more about CDR Joseph Otto Fisher.

CAPT Ernest Joseph King (2), (3) 1919-1921

NPS's King Auditorium is named in honor of Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King, United States Navy, who as Head of the USNA Postgraduate Department after World War I built up the school's civilian faculty to strengthen and diversify the naval educational program we recognize today as the Naval Postgraduate School.

Learn more about CAPT Ernest Joseph King

CDR Joseph Leonard Hileman (2) 1918-1919

The name of Commander Joseph L. Hileman appears as "Head of Department" for the Naval Academy's "Post Graduate Department" in its 1918 Annual Register, along with faculty members Leonard E. Doggett and  Ralph E. Root, for whom NPS's Root Hall is named.

Learn more about CDR Joseph Leonard Hileman

CDR Wat Tyler Cluverius (2) 1917-1918

CDR Wat Tyler Cluverius

With the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, CDR Cluverius was succeeded as Head of NPS by Cmdr. J.H. Hileman.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about CDR Wat Tyler Cluverius

LCDR John Halligan (2) 1915-1917

LCDR John HalliganJohn Halligan was a distinguished officer who as Head of the Postgraduate Department of the Naval Academy was instrumental in advancing the Navy's program of postgraduate education. NPS's Halligan Hall is named in his honor.

 

 

 

 

Learn more about LCDR John Halligan

CDR Louis McCoy Nulton Acting (2) 1915-1915

CDR Louis McCoy NultonCdr Louis M. Nulton was appointed as Head of the Naval Postgraduate School  in 1915.

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about CDR Louis McCoy Nulton.

CAPT Lloyd Horwitz Chandler (2) 1915-1915

On March 1, 1915, Capt. L.H. Chandler was named Acting Head of the school, replacing LCDR James P. Morton. Chandler served only until July, when he himself was replaced by Cmdr. L.M. Nulton, also as Acting Head. . This marks the only time four "commanding officers" served NPS in the same year.

Learn more about CAPT Lloyd Horwitz Chandler

LCDR James P. Morton (2) 1912-1915

On June 3, 1912, Lt. Cmdr. J.P. Morton replaced LCDR Milton E. Reed as Head of NPS, marking the first change of command at the school.

Learn more about LCDR James P. Morton

LCDR Milton Eugene Reed 1909-1912

LCDR Milton Eugene Reed Captain Milton E. Reed, U.S. Naval Academy class of 1897, was selected as the first head of the School of Marine Engineering, forerunner of today’s Naval Postgraduate School. Today's Reed Hall classroom facility is named in his honor.

Learn more about LCDR Milton Eugene Reed

NPS Presidents

Senior leadership titles have changed since the early School of Marine Engineering was established by a Secretary of the Navy executive order in 1909. Titles as they have been used:

(1) Head, School of Marine Engineering

(2) Head, Postgraduate Department of the Naval Academy

(3) Head, Naval Postgraduate School

(4) Superintendent, Naval Postgraduate School

(5) President, Naval Postgraduate School

Prepared by Special Collections & Archives, Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School. Sources include documents included in NPS Archve: Calhoun.

NPS Provosts

NPS Provosts' History

The 79th Congress created the civilian position for the Naval Postgraduate School's Provost in June 1946 when it passed Public Law 402. The initial title, Academic Dean, was later revised.

NPS Provosts List

Provosts at NPS

Dr. Scott Sigmund Gartner is The Provost and Academic Dean of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, where he also serves as Professor of Defense Analysis. He previously held the position of Director of the Penn State School of International Affairs, where he remains a Faculty Affiliate. Gartner’s interdisciplinary, multi-method, research focuses on great power conflict, international security, war and politics, counter-terrorism, conflict mediation and policy assessment and is both impactful and well cited.

Gartner's publications include Costly Calculations: A Theory of War, Casualties, and Politics, Strategic Assessment in War, International Conflict Mediation: New Approaches and Findings and The Historical Statistics of the United States, in addition to articles in top journals in political science, sociology, international affairs, national security, history, military intelligence, public policy, international negotiations, and communications. His honors include the Jefferson award for the best government resource, the RUSA Outstanding Reference Award, Booklist Editor's Choice Award, Library Journal Best Reference Award, History News Network Book of the Month and the American Political Science Association's best policy thesis award. He is past president of the International Studies Association (West) and served as a Senior Advisor for the Net Assessment of Violent Non-State Actors for a U.S. intelligence agency.

Gartner’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, The National Counter Terrorism Center, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the Department of Defense, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the Sloan foundation. Gartner’s op-ed columns have been published in The Huffington Post, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Baltimore Sun, and many other outlets. He holds a PhD. and MA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, and BA in History and MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Robert Dell

Dr. Robert F. Dell is a Professor of Operations Research (OR) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and Executive Director of the NPS Data Science and Analytics Group. He joined NPS OR as an Assistant Professor in 1990 and served as Chairman of the OR Department from 2009 to 2015. During his tenure as Chairman the department received the 2013 INFORMS Smith Prize. He served as editor-in-chief of the Military Operations Research Journal from 2015 to 2018. Professor Dell has received research support from every uniformed service for topics ranging from US Naval capital planning to US Army base realignment and closure. He has also applied optimization in the private sector in areas including production scheduling, supply chain design, and professional sports analytics. He has deployed twice to combat zones. Professor Dell has been awarded the Barchi, Koopman, and Rist prizes for military operations research. He has also received a Brazilian Navy Tamandaré Merit Medal, two Department of the Army Payne Memorial Awards for Excellence in Analysis, and two Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Awards.

Dr. Steven R. Lerman assumed the position of Provost and Academic Dean of the Naval Postgraduate School on August 29, 2016.

Dr. Lerman comes to the Naval Postgraduate School following more than 40 years of experience in higher education, most recently serving as Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at The George Washington (GW) University (2010-2015) and A. James Clark Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2010-2016). As Provost, Dr. Lerman was responsible for GW’s 10 schools and colleges, athletics (24 Division I varsity sports, club sports and intramurals), the Division of Student Affairs and the University Library. Approximately 4,900 full and part-time faculty and staff report up through these units with a combined budget of $580 million. Dr. Lerman was also responsible for all academic and student life aspects for three GW campuses (Foggy Bottom, Mt. Vernon and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus) as well as at the university’s three learning centers.

Prior to GW, Dr. Lerman served as Dean for Graduate Education (2007-2010) and Vice Chancellor (2008-2010), at his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In this capacity, Dr. served as the chief deputy to the Chancellor who has responsibility for student affairs, undergraduate education and graduate education.

Dr. Lerman has served as Director of the Center for Educational Computing Initiatives, the research unit of an MIT-wide research center devoted to studying the application of computational and communication technologies on education. He held the Class of 1922 Professorship at MIT, chaired the Faculty Advisory Boards of the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative and Academic Media Production Services, and was Deputy Director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance, MIT's largest distance education program. He served as the Chair of the MIT faculty from 1998 to 2001 and as Associate Chair of the Faculty from 1996 to 1998.

Dr. Lerman is a past Lilly Teaching Fellow, and the recipient of several teaching awards during his time at MIT, including the Maseeh Teaching Award, as well as the Advisor of the Year award through the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students. He has both chaired and served as a member of countless academic, industry and government advisory boards, and has broadly published in his field of transportation systems analysis.

Dr. Lerman received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering, and his Doctorate in Transportation Systems Analysis, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

James H. Newman

Dr. James H. Newman assumed the position of Acting Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School on October 5, 2015.

Newman came to NPS’ Space Systems Academic Group in 2006 as a NASA Visiting Professor. He subsequently transferred from NASA in 2008 to the Department of the Navy to accept a tenure-track professorship at NPS.  He has continued to teach orbital mechanics and launch systems and perform applied infrastructure research in the use of very small satellites for focused projects of national interest and for motivating hands-on, officer student educational opportunities.

NASA selected Newman into its astronaut program in 1990.  Newman’s space flight experience includes four missions aboard the Space Shuttles Discovery, Endeavour, and Columbia. Notably, he logged 43 days in space, including six spacewalks totaling 43 hours.  On the spacewalks he installed mission critical equipment on the International Space Station and worked on the Hubble Space Telescope.  As the robotic arm operator, he also deployed and retrieved satellites.

At NASA since 1985, he worked first as an instructor in the Mission Operations Directorate training astronauts and flight controllers in the fields of control and propulsion.  Then, Newman served in the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch, the Mission Development Branch, and as the Chief of the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch. While in the Astronaut Office, he also served the Space Shuttle Program Office for two years, when he was responsible for managing the Shuttle Robotic Arm and the Space Vision System. Before coming to NPS, he spent three years in Moscow, Russia working for the International Space Station (ISS) Program Office as NASA’s Human Space Flight Program Director in Russia.

Newman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Dartmouth College in 1978 and a Master of Arts degree and Doctorate in Physics from Rice University in 1982 and 1984, respectively. After graduating from Rice University in 1984, Newman performed post-doctoral research and remains an adjunct professor in Rice’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

 

Douglas A. Hensler

Dr. Douglas A. Hensler became the Naval Postgraduate School provost in June 2013.

Since 2008 Dr. Hensler was the Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University (WSU). The Barton School of Business is the leading business school in Kansas placing most of its graduates in international businesses, innovative organizations, and state-of-art industries. Dr. Hensler led organizational changes that streamlined the Barton School's ability to respond to students, companies, and collaboration initiatives with other colleges and schools at WSU. Enhanced faculty participation, innovative thinking, and open decision making led to a revised Executive MBA curriculum, deep review of the MBA program with integration of student, business and faculty input, an ongoing undergraduate international projects enterprise, and an examination of the learning facilities, along with other initiatives.

Prior to WSU, Dr. Hensler served as Dean and Sid Craig Endowed Dean's Chair in the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno for three years. For eight years prior to that, Dr. Hensler served at the University of Colorado at Boulder as the W. Edwards Deming Distinguished Professor of Management, a joint appointment to the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business. He also served as Co-Executive Director of the Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Hensler has travelled extensively and built a network of international contacts and partnerships. He has served as Special Advisor to the Australian Organisation for Quality (NSW) and as an adviser to the Special Adviser team of the Scottish First Minister. From 2002 to 2005 he served on the Academic Advisory Board of e-TQM College in Dubai, UAE. He is a member of The Berne Initiative.

Before returning to the academic community, Dr. Hensler achieved a highly successful management career that includes 13 years in project, staff and line management positions at two technology driven companies. These positions include nuclear industry quality assurance management and aerospace industry quality engineering management, plant quality management, production management leading an organization of 250 personnel, and R&D management leading an organization developing state-of-the-art process improvements involving applied research. Dr. Hensler has provided training and consulting to American Airlines, CH2M-Hill, Texas Utilities, Sulzer, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Micro Motion, FEMA, Sporian Microsystems, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, and the Fulfillment Corporation of America. Doug's most recent appointment includes working with CEO's and other executives of the Wichita aviation community including Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna, Bombardier/Learjet, Boeing and Hawker Beechcraft, along with Koch Industries and Coleman (The Outdoor Company).

A frequent invited keynote speaker and presenter at international conferences, Dr. Hensler has authored and co-authored several articles and manuscripts on a diverse and cross-disciplinary set of topics including value creation, innovation and learning organizations, technology development, strategy and change, initial public offerings, manufacturing, emerging economies, risk and performance measurement, intellectual capital and the knowledge economy, sustainability, competition and cooperation, and leadership.

Dr. Hensler's academic preparation includes a BSE in Aerospace and Mechanical Sciences from Princeton University, an MBA from the University of Portland, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Washington. He is a licensed professional engineer in Quality Engineering in the State of California.

O. Douglas Moses

Dr. O. Douglas Moses is currently the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs. He assumed the role of Interim Provost for the Naval Postgraduate School in 2012.  

A graduate of Cornell University, San Diego State University and University of California Los Angeles, where he received his B.A., M.B.A. and Ph.D., respectively, Dr. Moses served at NPS as an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, an Associate Dean and Associate Chair of Instruction, and as an Academic Associate for Financial Management. Dr. Moses has also been a visiting lecturer at Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, at California State University Hayward, San Jose State University and at Golden Gate University.

A veteran of the United States Navy, Dr. Moses’ teaching and research interests included financial and managerial accounting, reporting and statement analysis as well as business education. A recipient of the Allen Griffin Award and the John Jay Schiefflin Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Arthur Anderson Distinguished Teaching Award at University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Moses was also a member of the American Accounting Association.

 

Leonard Ferrari

Dr. Leonard A. Ferrari was appointed Executive Vice President and Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in July 2006. Upon assuming the post of Provost, Dr. Ferrari spearheaded a new Strategic Plan initiative, proposed new collaborative efforts with regional research and education institutions and launched new efforts to make campus academic and business processes more effective.

Previously, Dr. Ferrari was the Dean of Research at NPS with responsibility for oversight of research, grants and contracts, the research activities of the Modeling, Virtual Environments, & Simulations Institute (MOVES), the Cebrowski and Meyer Institutes, policy issues and supervision of sponsored programs, oversight of the NPS Research Initiation Program (RIP) and the development of new research relationships and programs with federal, state and civilian organizations. Under his leadership, sponsored programs grew at a rate of nearly 25% per year. Dr. Ferrari played a lead role in the development of industry and relations with the UC system and several universities in the Washington Capital Region (WCR) as well as strengthened programs and collaborations with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

Dr. Ferrari published approximately 100 research articles in electrical engineering and spent thirty years in academic faculty positions in addition to more than ten years in industrial research and development positions. He was Department Head of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and later Vice Provost for Special Initiatives and Executive Director of the Institute for Information Technology at Virginia Tech. Prior to that time, he was a faculty member at the University of California, Irvine and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the School of Engineering. Dr. Ferrari came to NPS with more than ten years of experience in private industry with Bell & Howell and the Polaroid Corporation.

He holds a B.S.E.E. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S.E.E. from Northeastern University. His Ph.D. degree is from the University of California, Irvine with research work in spatially varying digital filters. Dr. Ferrari's research is in the areas of signal and image processing, medical imaging systems, computer graphics and multi-media systems. His most recent research was in the area of spline computations for computer graphics and data compression, where he produced extremely efficient computational procedures. He created the 2-5-2 spline, a mathematical basis function suitable for all spline applications that has superior properties and computational advantages over conventional B-splines. Dr. Ferrari and his colleagues have used the new spline algorithms and concepts in the development of low power circuits for high quality computer graphics and data compression in multimedia systems.

Richard Elster

Richard Elster attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he received the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

In January of 1969 he joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School.  His teaching focused on DoD manpower, personnel and training policies.  From 1 July 1975 to 1 July 1978, he was on leave from the Naval Postgraduate School.  During that period, he worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), and as Senior Scientific Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower)/Chief of Naval Personnel, Admiral James D. Watkins.

On 1 October 1979, he was promoted to professor in the Department of Administrative Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School.  In July of 1983, he became Chairman of the Department of Administrative Sciences.

During the period of 1984-1988, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower.  Additionally, he was Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) during the period 7 April - 28 June 1988.  

In 1989, he filled the Chief of Naval Operation's manpower chair at the Naval Postgraduate School.  During January-September 1990, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Resource Management and Support.  He was named Dean of Instruction at the Naval Postgraduate School in September 1990 where he served in this role until June 1995.  On July 1, 1995 he was named Provost/Academic Dean of the Naval Postgraduate School by the Secretary of the Navy. He was appointed to a second five-year term in July of 2000. Read more in NPS Archive: Calhoun.

Harrison Shull

Harrison Shull (1923-2003) was the son of Dr. George H. Shull, the Princeton botanist who invented hybrid corn. He attended Princeton University, majoring in chemistry and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with highest honors in 1943. From 1943-1945 he was employed at the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., ultimately serving as Ensign, USNR.

Shull attended the University of California, Berkeley where he received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 1948. From 1955 to 1979 he was professor and chair of the chemistry department at Indiana University in Bloomington, the author of over 140 scientific papers and a college level chemistry textbook. He became an innovator in computer development and use, originating the model Quantum Chemistry Program Exchange and heading the University’s Research Computing Center.

Dr. Shull served as a member of the Naval Studies Board of the National Research Council from 1974 to 1979 and was a member of the CNO's Executive Panel from 1984 to 1988. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Defense Analyses.

From 1979 to 1982, Dr. Shull served as Vice President and Provost of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1982, he was appointed chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1985 he became Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Read more in NPS Archive: Calhoun.

Kneale T. Marshall was born in Yorkshire, England in 1936. He graduated from Imperial College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science (Eng) in mining and metallurgy. He joined the staff of Eldorado Mining & Refining in Saskatchewan as a mill engineer, and in 1961 was appointed Chief Metallurgist of the Beaverlodge operation.

In 1962 he entered the University of California at Berkeley to study Operations Research, receiving his Doctor of Philosophy degree in September 1966. In July 1968, he joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School as Assistant Professor of Operations Research, promoted to Associate Professor in 1970 and to Professor in 1975. In September 1978 he was appointed as Science Advisor to the Chief of Naval Personnel in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, DC. He returned to Monterey in September 1980 and was appointed Chairman of the Operations Research Department. He was appointed Dean of Information and Policy Sciences in January 1983 where he served through December 1990. From November 1987 until July 1988 he served as Acting Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School, and in July of 1990 he was appointed the the Chief of Naval Operations Chair Professor of Emerging Technologies in the Operations Research Department. Read more in NPS Archive: Calhoun.

David Alan Schrady was  born in Akron, OH. He was educated at the Case Institute of Technology receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1961, Master of Science in Operations Research in 1963, and Doctor of Philosophy in 1965. In September 1965 he joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School in the Operations Research Department as an Assistant Professor. He spent the academic year 1970-71 as associate program director in the Operations Research Branch of the Office of Naval Research in Washington, D.C.  Returning to Monterey, he was Academic Associate for the Operations Analysis curriculum from July 1972 to April 1974. In April 1974 he was appointed Chairman of the Department of Operations Research and Adrninistrative Sciences. In June 1976 he was appointed Dean of Information and Policy Sciences and Dean of Academic Planning. In August 1980 he was appointed Acting Provost and Academic Dean and subsequently appointed to that position by the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John Lehman. For service in this position he was awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award by the Chief of Naval Operations.  Read more in NPS Archive: Calhoun.

Jack R. BorstingJack Borsting was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1929. He received a B.A. in mathematics from Oregon State College in 1951, and a M.A. (1952) in mathematics and a Ph.D. (1959) in mathematical statistics from the University of Oregon. Prior to assuming the position of Provost in 1974, he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Operations Research and Administrative Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School; he had previously been a professor in the Mathematics Department.

He acted as president of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA), president of the Military Operations Research Society and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jack Borsting's image, here shows him as he appeared in a 1968 film about NPS entitled, "The Postgraduate Way".  Read more in NPS Archive: Calhoun.

Dr. Milton U. Clauser

Dr. Milton U. Clauser (1913-1980), a specialist in Aeronautics, assumed the postion of Academic Dean of the Naval Postgaduate School September 1, 1970.  He was a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, where he received his Ph.D. in 1937. Dr. Clauser later worked for Douglas Aircraft Co. in structures, aerodynamics, flight testing and design.  In 1950 he became head of the School of Aeronautical Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Clauser also served as vice president for the Ramo-Woolridge Corporation, later known as TRW, and headed the Leincon Laboratory and taught Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT before taking the post of academic dean at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Robert Rinehart

Dr. Robert F. Rinehart was appointed as Academic Dean in 1965.  Previous to his arrival at NPS, he was a professor of mathematics at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland. Dr. Rinehart served the Navy many times during his distinguished career: as a civilian member of the Navy Operations Research Group aboard a submarine in the Pacific during World War II; as director,Weapons Systems Evaluation Division of the Institute for Defense Department; and as a consultant for numerous government agencies. He acted as past president of the Operations Research Society of America and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

A.E. Vivell

Allen Edgar Vivell, b. 1905, attended The Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, majoring in Electrical Engineering, with minors in Mathematics and Physics. He received the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in June, 1927 and the degree of Doctor of Engineering in June, 1937. His doctoral research was in the field of magnetic testing.

He accepted an appointment as an Associate Professor of Electrical Englneering at the Naval Postgraduate School in 1944, and was promoted to the rank of Professor In July, 1946. During his tenure at the Naval Postgraduate School his research concentrated primarily on magnetic amplifiers and complex magnetic excitations. He acted as an officer of most of the faculty organizations, executive officer of tbe Department of Electrical Engineering, moderator of the Engineering School Faculty Council and has completed many special admlnistrative assignments. He has been Academic Dean of the Postgraduate School since 1 July 1960. He is a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Rocket Soctety, The American Society for Engineering Education, American Association for University Professors, Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pl, Sigma Taa, Naval Institute, Naval Senior Scientists, Armed Forces Management Association, Trustee of the Monterey lnstitute for Foreign Studies.

Roy S. Glasgow

Dr. Roy S. Glasgow was appointed Dean of the Postgraduate School in 1949 and held the position until 1960. He is widely recognized as a prime mover in the university's first steps toward becoming what is now regarded as one of the premier research an educational institutions in the nation.

Dr. Glasgow was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1895. He was a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and of Harvard. He was a faculty member at Washington for 29 years. During World War II, Glasgow served as radio consultant to the War Department and headed the Technical Intelligence Committee in Germany for the War and State departments, for which he received the Distinguished Service Award. 

In 1992, the newest academic building at the Naval Postgraduate School was named of one of the driving forces behind the university's move from the U.S. Naval Academy to Monterey in 1952, Dr. Roy S. Glasgow.

Paul James Kiefer

Paul James Kiefer joined the Naval Postgraduate School faculty at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis in September, 1920. By April, 1927, he was made a professor of marine and mechanical engineering and became head of that department.

Kiefer earned an A.B. from Wittenberg College in 1908, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Case Institute of Technology in 1911.  His experience was broad and varied: he attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1916-18, taking a graduate course in economics and political science not directed toward a degree and was employed professionally as a draftsman, a surveyor, as a power plant designer and construction engineer. He taught mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and taught steam engineering at the University of Illinois. He spent a year in naval service as ensign and lieutenant.

Case awarded the graduate degree of Mechanical Engineer to Kiefer in 1930, in recognition of his professional attainments. He contributed articles to the technical press of the time and was sectional director of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was co-author of Principles of Engineering Thermodynamics, then used as a textbook at the U. S. Naval Academy's Postgraduate School.   He earned an M.E. in 1939 and received an honorary D.Sc. from Wittenberg College in 1953. He was listed in Who's Who in Engineering and in American Men of Science.

Kiefer is number 2 in the 1921 "Post Graduate Department" class photograph.  View it in Calhoun.

Ford L. Wilkinson

Ford L. Wilkinson, Jr. was the Naval Postgraduate School's first academic dean. He was a 1917 graduate of the Naval Academy who resigned his commission in 1927. He became chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee in 1928 and before joining the University of Louisville Speed Scientific School in 1933. He later became dean of that school prior to his NPS appointment. Dr. Wilkinson left NPS to become president of the Rose Technological Institute (now the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology).

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