Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College Announcement
June 29, 2022
Dear UTRGV Family:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Can (pronounced John) Saygin will be joining us as Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College, effective August 1, 2022.
Dr. Saygin joins us from The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), where he served as Senior Associate Vice President for Research and professor of Mechanical Engineering.
He joined UTSA in 2006 and has held a variety of administrative roles during his tenure, including Advisor to President for Strategic Initiatives; Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Intelligence and Strategic Initiatives; Interim Dean of Graduate School; and Senior Vice Provost for University Planning.
Dr. Saygin has directed several projects funded by the Air Force Research Lab, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, the Boeing Company, the Ford Motor Company, UT Health San Antonio, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and various manufacturing industries in San Antonio. He has also led regional advanced manufacturing efforts under the designation of Alamo Manufacturing Partnership.
He is the recipient of the UTSA College of Engineering 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award, the UTSA President’s 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence, and The University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012.
Dr. Saygin received his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on advanced manufacturing systems and automation from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara in Turkey.
In his new role at UTRGV, Dr. Saygin will guide institution-wide efforts to grow comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and collaborative graduate and research programs to advance the process of designation as an R1 Classification institution and elevate the stature of the university to improve the lives of people in the Valley and beyond.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Saygin to the UTRGV family.
Additionally, please join me in thanking Dr. Sandra Hansmann who, for the past year, has done a tremendous job serving as our Interim Dean of the Graduate College. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the entire Division of Research staff, which also did a great job maintaining operations during this transitional period.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President