Difference between revisions of "Zvi Galil"
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| − | + | Zvi Galil earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees (both summa cum laude) at Tel Aviv University, an institution his father helped establish. After completing his doctorate at Cornell University, ge joined Tel Aviv University’s computer science department in 1976, becoming department chair in 1979 and a full professor in 1981. | |
| − | + | He then joined Columbia’s computer science department in 1982, became the Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Mathematical Methods and Computer Science in 1987, and chaired the department from 1989 to 1994. He became dean and the Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering in 1995. | |
| − | He | + | His tenure as dean was among most accomplished in the School’s history. He increased the number of engineering faculty from 95 to 150, established the biomedical engineering department, and expanded the range and scope of other departments. Under his guardianship, the School’s endowment grew dramatically, including a $26 million gift from The Z. Y. Fu Foundation that gave the School a new name. |
| + | For students, he became a model of wise, accessible, and caring leadership. He cheerfully described himself as the “e-mail dean”, known for late-night electronic missives. But he were admired no less for his infectious sense of humor and generosity of spirit—helping students find the right advisors, holding regular fireside chats, and inspiring students to broaden their educations and become involved in the community. | ||
| + | “We have the best and most interesting dean at Columbia,” bragged one student. “No dean … is as well known and respected by the students as Dean Galil,” boasted another. | ||
| + | Little wonder then that while he was dean, the School’s national ranking shot up, graduate applications more than doubled, and undergraduate selectivity more than tripled. | ||
| + | When he announced his decision to take up the presidency of Tel Aviv University beginning in 2007, students started wearing shirts mourning his departure, the [[Engineering Student Council]] established a new annual award in his honor, and the Class of 2007 rallied with a 100 percent participation rate to the [[senior fund]], a feat not accomplished before or since. | ||
| + | His research contributions place him at the top of his field. In 1983, the Committee of Science Policy of the American Mathematical Society listed his work on optimal statistical designs as one of five "significant recent achievements" in mathematical sciences. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering not simply for his contributions to the design and analysis of algorithms but also for his leadership in computer science and engineering. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences selected him as a Fellow. Zvi have authored more than 200 papers, edited five books, and delivered more than 150 lectures in 20 countries. | ||
| + | In 2009 the [[Society of Columbia Graduates]] presented him with the 61st annual [[Great Teacher Award]]. | ||
{{succession|preceded=[[David H. Auston]]|succeeded=[[Gerald Navratil]]|office=Dean of [[SEAS]]|years=[[1995]] - [[2007]]}} | {{succession|preceded=[[David H. Auston]]|succeeded=[[Gerald Navratil]]|office=Dean of [[SEAS]]|years=[[1995]] - [[2007]]}} | ||
[[Category:Deans of SEAS|Galil, Zvi]] | [[Category:Deans of SEAS|Galil, Zvi]] | ||
Revision as of 15:40, 5 January 2010
- See also Wikipedia's article about "Zvi Galil".
Zvi Galil earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees (both summa cum laude) at Tel Aviv University, an institution his father helped establish. After completing his doctorate at Cornell University, ge joined Tel Aviv University’s computer science department in 1976, becoming department chair in 1979 and a full professor in 1981. He then joined Columbia’s computer science department in 1982, became the Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Mathematical Methods and Computer Science in 1987, and chaired the department from 1989 to 1994. He became dean and the Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering in 1995. His tenure as dean was among most accomplished in the School’s history. He increased the number of engineering faculty from 95 to 150, established the biomedical engineering department, and expanded the range and scope of other departments. Under his guardianship, the School’s endowment grew dramatically, including a $26 million gift from The Z. Y. Fu Foundation that gave the School a new name. For students, he became a model of wise, accessible, and caring leadership. He cheerfully described himself as the “e-mail dean”, known for late-night electronic missives. But he were admired no less for his infectious sense of humor and generosity of spirit—helping students find the right advisors, holding regular fireside chats, and inspiring students to broaden their educations and become involved in the community. “We have the best and most interesting dean at Columbia,” bragged one student. “No dean … is as well known and respected by the students as Dean Galil,” boasted another. Little wonder then that while he was dean, the School’s national ranking shot up, graduate applications more than doubled, and undergraduate selectivity more than tripled. When he announced his decision to take up the presidency of Tel Aviv University beginning in 2007, students started wearing shirts mourning his departure, the Engineering Student Council established a new annual award in his honor, and the Class of 2007 rallied with a 100 percent participation rate to the senior fund, a feat not accomplished before or since. His research contributions place him at the top of his field. In 1983, the Committee of Science Policy of the American Mathematical Society listed his work on optimal statistical designs as one of five "significant recent achievements" in mathematical sciences. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering not simply for his contributions to the design and analysis of algorithms but also for his leadership in computer science and engineering. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences selected him as a Fellow. Zvi have authored more than 200 papers, edited five books, and delivered more than 150 lectures in 20 countries. In 2009 the Society of Columbia Graduates presented him with the 61st annual Great Teacher Award.
| Preceded by David H. Auston |
Dean of SEAS 1995 - 2007 |
Succeeded by Gerald Navratil |
