By Angelina Persaud & Angelina Perez, Managing Editor & Arts & Entertainment Editor
Richard Carbonaro, Ph.D., P.E., has been announced as the new associate dean for Manhattan University’s School of Engineering (SoE).
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Carbonaro is a graduate of MU where he received his bachelor of science and master of engineering degrees in 1977 and 1999 respectively. He later went on to receive his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in 2004. Afterward, he began teaching at MU in the civil and environmental engineering department for 12 years, and the chemical engineering department for another eight.
Within his new role, Carbonaro has high hopes for the future of the SoE and says he plans to continue his role in providing students with a quality education. He spoke about the transition being especially rewarding since his previous role in the chemical engineering department.
“I’m really excited about being able to connect with our students in a way that I haven’t been able to yet in my academic career,” Carbonaro said. “I’m going to have the ability to interact with essentially the entire student body within the School of Engineering. And that’s new for me, because I was in the chemical engineering department, one of the smaller departments.”
Carbonaro is currently teaching one class this semester, Intro to Engineering, with plans to teach at least one more chemical engineering class in the future. In his 21 years at MU, he says his students have motivated him to continue teaching and leading.
“Definitely the most rewarding thing for me as a professor is seeing my students go on to do great things in their career,” Carbonaro said. “That’s what motivates me to do what I do. I want my students to go on and do far greater things than I’ll ever accomplish in my professional career. I’ve seen a lot, and I’ve heard from a lot of different folks. I’m hopeful that those experiences will help me transition into this new role…it’s helped me become a better listener and a better communicator.”
Sasidhar Varanasi, Ph.D., chair of the chemical engineering department, spoke on Carbonaro’s contributions to the department.
“The main responsibility of the associate dean is to help serve as the right hand of the dean in promoting outreach to improve enrollment in the School of Engineering, as well as get involved in a variety of activities, like a workshop for the high school guidance counselors to inform them about STEM and engineering in particular,” Varanasi said.
Varanasi also noted the downsizing that has affected the department during the last round of faculty layoffs. With Carbonaro no longer teaching full-time, the department had to make adjustments.
“The department stands to lose quite a bit because Carbonaro is a very excellent instructor, and he was always ready to help the department with whatever we needed,” Varanasi said. “Unfortunately, the department lost two young faculty members last academic year due to some downsizing, so the department is somewhat short-staffed. Dr. Carbonaro has been willing to take overload and cover any classes needed for the department. He is extremely considerate regarding the chemical engineering program and his new responsibilities. No doubt that the department really misses him, because he is one of the principal architects of reestablishing this department.”
Associate professor in the chemical engineering department and graduate director J. Patrick Abulencia, Ph.D., spoke to The Quadrangle about Carbonaro’s active outreach to students on and off campus, including setting up a summer camp for high school students in the department.
“Although we are happy for Dr. Carbonaro in his new role and how this positively impacts his career, the department will have to find a way to replace the void he will be leaving in the classroom,” Abulencia said. “Nevertheless, Dr. Carbonaro still positively contributes to the department sharing ideas during our faculty meetings, actively fundraising for scholarships, and engaging high school students for our outreach efforts.”
Abulencia reflected on his time with Carbonaro, recalling fond memories of sharing materials and advice as Abulencia began to take on a new position as graduate program director of chemical engineering.
“I have known Dr. Carbonaro for a long time, and he has been a very good colleague throughout,” Abulencia said. “He was very generous in sharing materials and instruments from his lab during one of my early research projects here [at MU], for which I am grateful. More recently, he has been a great sounding board for a wide range of things, such as handling difficult situations and helping prepare me for the role of graduate program director.”
Carbonaro shared a sentiment that he’s seen firsthand in the MU community: perseverance. His advice to students throughout the various changes in administration to the university is to try and see the positive through the challenges.
“Try to stay positive,” Carbonaro said. “There’s going to be challenges in life, and we have to find a way to persevere through them. The Manhattan community, though, is so strong. There’s so many people that you can lean on, both faculty, alumni, administration, we’re all here for you.”