MSOE: Appoints new vice president of academics

Dr. Frederick Berry will succeed Dr. Roger Frankowski

Dr. Frederick C. Berry has been appointed the vice president of academics at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Berry will begin July 1, and succeeds Dr. Roger Frankowski, who is retiring after 42 years of service to the university.

Berry comes to MSOE from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., where he most recently served as head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department. While at Rose-Hulman, Berry was responsible for the ECE Department students’ learning environment, leading undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, laboratories, classrooms and research projects, student retention, ABET accreditation and obtaining industry-sponsored projects. Rose-Hulman has consistently been highly ranked by organizations such as U.S.News & World Report, as has MSOE.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Berry to MSOE,” said Dr. Hermann Viets, president of MSOE. “He is a strong leader with valuable experience in practice-oriented education. At MSOE, and similarly at Rose-Hulman, theory is brought to life in the laboratory. Dr. Berry recognizes how important it is for students to gain career-practice before they graduate, and we are looking forward to having him on board.”

In addition to serving as head of the ECE Department, Berry was co-director of Rose-Hulman’s Explore Engineering program, designed to introduce middle and high school students to the world of engineering. He also was the executive director of the Global Wireless Education Consortium, a network of twenty academic institutions and seven industry partners in the area of wireless engineering, which is operated as a separate non-profit organization at Rose-Hulman.

Berry holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, and a Doctor of Engineering, all from Louisiana Tech University. He is a member of Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, American Society of Engineering Education, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. His areas of expertise are in circuits, power systems, control systems, signals and systems, and electrical engineering design. Prior to joining the faculty at Rose-Hulman, Berry taught at Louisiana Tech University.

Berry’s research and work with students has been recognized with several awards, including the Kauffman Outstanding Entrepreneurship Educator award from ASEE in 2009; Faculty Honorary Alumnus Award from Rose-Hulman in 2008; Top Ten Paper Award from Frontiers in Education in 1999 and more. Berry co-authored a book, Introduction to Wireless Systems, which was published in 2008. He also holds two patents: Remote Circuit Locking and Laser Positioning System for Earth Boring Apparatus.

MSOE is an independent university with 2,600 students. MSOE offers 17 bachelor’s degrees and nine master’s degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, architectural engineering and building construction, computer, business, nursing and health-related fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and starting salaries. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.