The School of Engineering Welcomes Its First Female Dean, Kathryn W. Jablokow Ph.D. IEEE SPECTRUM / COURTESY
Maria Castano, Contributor
Kathryn W. Jablokow, Ph.D., was appointed as dean of the School of Engineering on Aug. 1, making her the first woman to ever hold the position at Manhattan University.
According to an article published on manhattan.edu in late July, Jablokow took over the position after five years at the National Science Foundation (NSF) where she served as the deputy division director of the Research, Innovation, Synergies and Education (RISE) Division in the Geosciences Directorade (GEO).
Jablokow stepped into this position after it was vacant for two years, becoming the successor of Tim Ward, Ph.D., who had previously been dean for fifteen years. In the interim, civil and environmental engineering professor Anirban De, Ph.D., rose to fill the spot.
“I see in Manhattan [University] this openness to asking challenging questions and listening to all these different perspectives from all these different types of thinking – scientific thinking, religious thinking, behavioural thinking, and that’s fascinating to me,” Jablokow said. “I also think that it makes for better engineers if we are listening to other disciplines and understanding, because here we are as engineers, we make stuff, we design stuff, right? But we are designing it for other people who are not engineers, and if we are not listening and we don’t understand, then we are not going to design things that people need, or it’s not going to be a good fit.”
Jablokow seeks to further integrate the Lasallian message of the importance of multidisciplinary studies in the School of Engineering. In addition to this, Jablokow intends on further developing the engineering school by adding more faculty members and upgrading the research facilities at students’ disposal on campus.
“One of the things that we’re doing within the School of Engineering is having all the departments look at some of the main themes in research and things like laboratories and facilities that will help move all of the departments ahead,” Jablokow said. “They’re working on what their strategic priorities would be … [and I’m] asking the faculty to help me understand what are some areas that they believe would both move their current faculty ahead and that might also help us grow in adding more faculty. … I want to grow the school; so I need more faculty that will support even more students and more research. We’re in the stage right now of identifying so that we’ll have a strategic road map of where we’re going to go.”
One of the things Jablokow plans to implement in Manhattan University is a new regional, multi-campus four-year College of Engineering degree focused on multidisciplinary engineering design, showing her dedication towards developing the School of Engineering’s adaptability and wide-range knowledge.
“We are really excited about finding new things,” Jablokow said. “It might be degree programs, but it might also be micro-credentials, it could be summer workshops, it could be different kinds of internships, competitions, it could be all types of things.”
J. Patrick Abulencia, Ph. D., associate professor of chemical engineering, spoke about the improvements he wishes to see on campus regarding research facilities as well as funding for the school.
“To me, there are two components that are important when engaging with research: infrastructure and funding,” Abulencia said. “Regarding infrastructure, the chemical engineering department is fortunate to be able to have dedicated space for each of the faculty. Of course, we could always use more, particularly for student instruction in materials, fluids, and our cosmetics concentration. Regarding funding, budgets are generally limited so monies earmarked for research, particularly for faculty on the tenure track, could be better.”
Arancha Antunes, a junior electrical and mechanical engineering major, elaborated on Jablokow’s positive impact.
“One thing that I really like that she’s done so far…is that she’s been reaching out to a lot of the clubs in the engineering department,” Antunes said. “I’m a part of IEEE [the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers], and she’s already reached out to us to try and schedule a meeting. I like the outreach that she’s doing that I don’t think we’ve had from previous deans… I just like that she’s trying to get involved and meet us all.”
As the new dean, Jablokow hopes to interact with as many people as possible, and encourages them to do the same.
“If I could give young people any advice at all, it is to connect with as many people as you can and learn and listen and figure out what people are thinking because that’s where new ideas come from,” Jablokow said.
A subject often discussed when talking about the appointment of Jablokow is how her presence as a woman in power in the department can encourage more female students to join.
“There were not many women faculty in the School of Engineering when I was a student here,” Abulencia said. “It is certainly refreshing to see that number rise significantly since then. What is particularly noteworthy is the increase of women engineers in leadership roles. Two of our departments are led by women and of course the school as a whole by Dean Jablokow. This really sends a positive message to girls in high school that are contemplating engineering, but hesitant because they are afraid of being in the minority. I am optimistic that the number of women entering the School of Engineering will rise under Dean Jablokow’s leadership.”
Gianna Rutigliano, a junior civil engineering major, shared some thoughts on how women in STEM are treated on campus.
“I think our school does a good job with the girls and … the females in STEM, with SWE [Society of Women Engineers] there’s always support there,” Rutigliano said. “I think it just keeps growing.”
Jablokow shared some advice about being a minority in a male-dominated field.
“Go into new situations assuming positive intent, assume that the men around you accept you until proven otherwise,” Jablokow said. “Don’t walk into a room where nobody’s said anything to you and say, ‘I’m preparing for the worst.’ Yes, you have to be prepared, but all those people might be allies, they might be thrilled that you’re there. So assume positive intent.”
Jablokow finds the Lasallian tradition of multidisciplinary studies to be essential in the formation of engineers in the future.
“You need to learn how you think and you need to learn how to think,” Jablokow said. “It doesn’t matter what discipline you are in, you are paid to think, so as engineers, if all I think about is in the form of mathematical equations, I am missing out on these other kinds of thinking that help me understand humanity. And humanity, those are the people I’m serving.”
*Editor’s Note: Grace Cardinal contributed to reporting.
*Editor’s Note 9/10/25: A previous version of this article stated that Dr. Jablokow had implemented a new multidisciplinary degree. The article has since been updated to reflect that this is a planned change, but one that has not yet been officially put in place.