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A year ago today, Morgan State University President David Wilson announced the appointment of Michael G. Spencer as dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering.
“He is an accomplished educator and researcher who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our campus,” said President Wilson. “This appointment is a signal to everyone that Morgan intends to maintain its position as a world leader in the production of minority engineers for many more decades.”
Morgan State's program is No. 1 in the U.S. in producing black electrical, civil and industrial engineers, and No. 3 in producing black engineers in all fields.
Dr. Spencer received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral (PhD. D.) degrees in electrical engineering, all from Cornell University. He has more than 160 publications and 20 patents in the fields of compound semiconductors, graphene, power conversion, microwave devices and solar cell technology.
“I am very excited to begin this new chapter of my career,” said Dr. Spencer. “I look forward to joining the family at Morgan State, and I am hopeful that I can build on the foundation established by Dr. Eugene Deloatch, the founding dean of the School of Engineering.”
Dr. Spencer assumed his new role as dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering on Jan. 4, 2017.
According to the 2015 U.S. News/Raytheon STEM Index, though the number of STEM bachelor's degrees earned by black college students rose 60 percent from 2000 to 2014, it made up a smaller percentage of the overall number of bachelor's degrees earned by black students in the same period.
In 2017, six percent of African-Americans hold bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering or math. However, at 12 percent of the population, African-Americans are still underrepresented in STEM fields.
Dr. Spencer's awards and honors include, among others, the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation; and the Quality of Education for Minorities (QEM) Giants of Science Award.
Dr. Spencer recently wrote a blog on innovation for USBE Online. Click here to read how Morgan State is Engineering Innovation.