Engineering the Future

DELAWARE, Ohio - Ohio Wesleyan University is building one of the nation's first named, endowed schools of engineering at a liberal arts college, backed by $17 million in alumni philanthropy and partnerships with global technology companies. Today, the university announced the proven program-builder who will lead it.

Paul E. Slaboch, Ph.D., P.E., will join Ohio Wesleyan in January as founding dean of the Conrades School of Engineering. At the University of Hartford, Slaboch founded Connecticut's only ABET-accredited aerospace engineering program and led it from initial development through full accreditation, the same path Ohio Wesleyan's new mechanical engineering major is now pursuing.

His appointment comes as the school recruits its first class of mechanical engineering majors, who will begin in fall 2027 and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) degree from a program pursuing accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Why Engineering at Ohio Wesleyan, and Why Now?

Ohio Wesleyan designed the school for a moment when artificial intelligence, rapidly changing technology, and evolving industry needs are reshaping the engineering profession.

"Central Ohio's booming advanced-industry economy and the national competition for engineering talent have created an urgent need for engineers who combine deep technical command with judgment, adaptability, communication, and an understanding of the human consequences of their work," said OWU President Matt vandenBerg, Ed.D.

"Ohio Wesleyan formulated the Conrades School of Engineering with unusual precision around that need and backed that design with exceptional philanthropic resources and industry partnerships," vandenBerg said. "Our graduates will enter the market with a distinctive advantage: broad education, specific technical skill, and the capacity to connect the two when solving complex problems. Recruiting a proven program-builder of Paul Slaboch's caliber at this early stage gives us another powerful measure of the school's momentum and raises our ambition for the national distinction we intend to achieve."

A Founding Dean Whose Vision Matches the Model

Slaboch describes the program he intends to build as "technically rigorous, deeply undergraduate-focused, connected to industry, attentive to ethics and sustainability, prepared for the realities of AI-enabled engineering practice, and designed for future growth."

"This is also a particularly important moment to build a new engineering program because engineering education is entering a new era shaped by artificial intelligence," said Slaboch, currently professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Acoustical Engineering at the University of Hartford. "I believe Ohio Wesleyan has an opportunity to build an engineering program that is AI-native from the beginning. By that, I do not mean a program that uses AI as a shortcut or substitutes technology for learning. I mean a program that recognizes AI as a tool that students will need to use responsibly, critically, and effectively throughout their careers. …

"Students must be able to judge whether an AI-generated analysis is reasonable, whether assumptions are valid, whether the result makes sense, whether a design recommendation is safe, and whether a solution is ethical or sustainable," he said. "This connects directly to the kind of critical thinking, quantitative analysis, communication, and intellectual honesty that Ohio Wesleyan identifies as central to a liberal education."

'A Teacher at the Helm'

In his new role, Slaboch will report to Interim Provost Dale Brugh, Ph.D., Ohio Wesleyan's chief academic officer.

"We are launching this school with a teacher at the helm," Brugh said. "That is the right choice for Ohio Wesleyan, where students are known by their faculty, and it is the right choice for the engineers we intend to graduate.

"Paul has taught across the mechanical engineering curriculum, from sophomore-level fundamentals through senior capstone design, and the New England section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics recognized him with its 2024 STEM Educator Award," Brugh said. "What stood out to the search committee was how he talks about students. He wants them to move from completing assignments to thinking like engineers, and he has spent his career building courses and research projects that do exactly that."

A licensed professional engineer (P.E.) in mechanical engineering, Slaboch has spent 10 years on the Hartford faculty. He earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Built With Industry From Day One

Ohio Wesleyan launched the endowed Conrades School of Engineering in fall 2025 with $17 million in alumni philanthropy, including $13 million from lead donors George Conrades, Class of 1961, and Patricia "Patsy" Belt Conrades, Class of 1963.

From their first engineering courses, students will train with the tools professionals use. Through Ansys, part of Synopsys, the students will have access to Ansys Mechanical™ structural finite element analysis software and Ansys Fluent® fluid simulation software.

In collaboration with Vertiv, a global leader in digital-infrastructure technologies, Ohio Wesleyan's engineering students will have access to mentored internships and other valuable hands-on learning opportunities.

Beyond the major, two minors, Engineering Science and Science & Engineering in the Public Interest, will extend the school's reach across the university and reflect Ohio Wesleyan's conviction that technical skill and civic judgment belong together.

Learn more about the Conrades School of Engineering atowu.edu/engineering and about enrolling atowu.edu/admission.

"The Conrades School of Engineering represents the most ambitious academic expansion in Ohio Wesleyan's 184-year history," vandenBerg said. "We now have the philanthropic foundation, the industry partners, and a founding dean who has taken a program from concept to accreditation. Our graduates will leave with the technical command to build what comes next and the judgment to know what is worth building."

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.