R. William Funk & Associates Assists Lawrence Technological University Find New President

November 10, 2021 – R. William Funk & Associates, which specializes in recruitment for roles in higher education, has placed Tarek M. Sobh as the new president of Lawrence Technological University (LTU) in Southfield, MI. Dr. Sobh, a licensed professional engineer, has served as vice president of academic affairs and provost at Lawrence Tech since 2020. The university’s eighth president, he will assume office on Jan. 1. Dr. Sobh succeeds Virinder Moudgil, who has led LTU as president for nearly 10 years. “Tarek has been innovative, direct, and driven in his role as provost,” said Dr. Moudgil. “He has accomplished much in a short time. I have every confidence he will continue Lawrence Tech’s expansion and success.”

Dr. Sobh’s selection is the culmination of a six-month national search by R. William Funk & Associates. A 16-person selection committee led by trustee Victor Saroki with representatives from faculty, staff, students, alumni, community leaders and trustees narrowed the pool to three candidates. Lawrence Tech’s full board of trustees reviewed the recommendations of the LTU community and made the final selection.

Strong Experience

Before serving as provost, Dr. Sobh was interim provost. He also served as university executive vice president, research and economic development and founding dean of the College of Engineering, Business and Education at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering with honors in computer science and automatic control from Alexandria University in Egypt, and both master’s and doctorate degrees in computer and information science from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his academic career as a research assistant professor of computer science at the University of Utah.

“Lawrence Tech is the creative and innovative university of the future,” said Dr. Sobh. “We are the preeminent technological university that prepares students for jobs that haven’t even been created yet. LTU makes a difference in the lives of our students and our community. I look forward to continuing this important work in my new role.”

Dr. Sobh is a noted scholar who has authored more than 250 refereed journal and conference papers and book chapters, in addition to 27 books. He serves or has served on the editorial boards of 18 journals and has served on the program committees of over 300 international conferences and workshops in the robotics, automation, sensing, computing, systems, control, online engineering, and engineering education areas. Dr. Sobh has presented more than 150 keynote speeches, invited talks and lectures, colloquia and seminars at research meetings, university departments, research centers and companies. His background is in the fields of robotics, computer science and engineering, control theory, automation, manufacturing, AI, computer vision and signal processing.

Related: R. William Funk & Associates Recruits Provost for College of Charleston

Founded in 1932, Lawrence Technological University offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in colleges of architecture and design, arts and sciences, business and information technology, and engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and the Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Higher Education Specialists

R. William Funk & Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment. The firm has recruited chancellors/presidents two-thirds of all public AAU universities. The firm has also recruited presidents or chancellors to more than one-half of U.S. News & World Report’s recently published “Top 30 National Universities.” The firm has conducted more than 425 searches for college and university presidents and chancellors as well as an even greater number of provosts, deans, and various vice presidents.

R. William Funk & Associates has recruited chancellors/presidents for two-thirds of all public AAU universities, according to Central Washington University. Additionally, it has been recognized by the Women’s Network of the American Council on Education (ACE) for its work in recruiting women and minorities to senior levels of higher education. The firm has broken the color and/or gender line in president searches at more than 40 institutions around the country, making in one of the most highly sought after search firms across the sector.

Related: University of South Carolina Selects R. William Funk & Associates to Lead Search for New President

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

Share This Article

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments