Title: President
Workplace: University of Delaware
Alma Maters: Newcastle University (UK), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Boards: President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontier
Best advice you’ve received? “Know your core mission and your purpose, and let it guide everything you do. It will lead to meaningful impact on a personal level while also creating a legacy that inspires and empowers others. I am grateful that my career in higher education — as a student, teacher, researcher and administrator — has allowed me to put that advice into action every day.”
Dennis Assanis was selected as the 28th president of the state’s flagship university in 2016, coming from Stony Brook University in New York. Since then, Assanis has led a campaign of enrollment growth, especially among minority students, and capital investment, including building new residence halls, labs and athletic centers while upgrading the school’s football stadium. Development of the STAR Campus has also steadily increased with the addition of the Chemours Discovery Lab, UD’s College of Health Sciences STAR Tower and the FinTech Center among other projects. He’s already received a contract extension through 2026.
