Editor's note: This article was updated at 2:01 p.m. on May 16 to reflect that there are now three, not four, interim or acting deans out of 16, following the announcement of a new OU College of Law dean on May 16.
OU announced on Wednesday the new dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, pending final approval by the Board of Regents, amid several dean searches across the university.
John Antonio will be appointed as the dean of the college and Lester A. Day Family Chair, according to a press release. He will officially begin his permanent role on July 1.
Antonio has served as interim dean of the college since Jan. 1 last year after Mike Stice stepped down from the position in November 2022.
OU has been searching for deans of several colleges, which until recently included Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, which announced Andrea Miller as the new dean last month.
Currently, there are three interim or acting deans out of 16. Colleges still awaiting fulfillment of the position include the College of International Studies; College of Professional and Continuing Studies and the Honors College.
In April, there were no updates on potential search committees for the Professional and Continuing Studies, Earth and Energy or International Studies dean positions.
In a statement to OU Daily regarding the decision process on choosing the Mewbourne College dean, an OU spokesperson wrote: “The university followed established protocols in the selection process, which allows for flexibility to ensure the best candidate is chosen. Dr. Antonio’s extensive experience, visionary leadership, and dedication to excellence were key factors in his selection, echoed by positive feedback from numerous stakeholders.”
During Antonio’s time as interim dean, the college increased its year-over-year enrollment by nearly 10% in the fall of 2023 after experiencing several consecutive years of decline, according to the release. He also had several achievements, including the launch of the Sustainable Energy Systems Certificate program, allowing students to expand their studies with a multidisciplinary approach to sustainable energy.
Antonio joined OU as a computer science professor in 1999. He also served as the director of the School of Computer Science and Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Partnerships. His background also includes senior associate dean and an additional interim dean appointment, both within the Gallogly College of Engineering.
Before coming to OU, Antonio held academic positions at Texas Tech University and Purdue University. He was also the executive director of application development at MSCI Inc., a company that provides resources to help clients build portfolios, where he led a global team in improving the company’s parallel production computing platform.
Additionally, he is an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences, a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery, according to the release.
This story was edited by Taylor Jones. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
