Following comprehensive national searches, Jill Buban, PhD has been named Fairfield University’s vice president for Digital Strategy and Online Education, and Andres Carrano, PhD, has been appointed the new dean of the School of Engineering. 

As vice president for Digital Strategy and Online Education, effective April 16, Dr. Buban oversees strategic development, infrastructure, and programming to expand Fairfield University’s online and hybrid academic program offerings, with a particular focus on graduate and professional studies.

Most recently, Dr. Buban has served as the chief academic officer of the Unizin Consortium, overseeing the organization’s research activities, its member and partner engagement, and acting as the liaison for Unizin’s robust teaching and learning committee.

“As we continue to execute on our strategic plan for the evolution and innovation of our academic programs, it is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Jill Buban to Fairfield Unversity,” said President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. “Dr. Buban’s proven leadership experience in digital learning, and knowledge of best practices for implementing online programs in higher education, will be invaluable to the growth and continued success of Fairfield, as we deploy new modalities to reach ever broader populations in ever more innovative ways.”

Prior to joining Unizin, Dr. Buban served as the senior director of Research and Innovation for the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). In this role, she founded and oversaw the OLC Research Center for Digital Learning and Leadership, worked on key strategic leadership initiatives for digital learning leaders, and oversaw the organization’s peer-reviewed journal, Online Learning. While at OLC, Dr. Buban lectured nationally and internationally on research in online, blended, and digital learning; innovation in higher education; and best practices for implementing online and blended programs at institutions.

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Andres L. Carrano, PhD, currently a professor and associate dean for research in the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing at Georgia Southern University, will formally assume the position of dean of the Fairfield University School of Engineering on August 1, 2020. Dr. Carrano has previously held administrative and endowed positions at Auburn University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

In addition to prior faculty appointments at universities in Japan, Turkey, and Venezuela, Dr. Carrano served as a Fulbright scholar in Italy in 2018, and was awarded a NASA research fellowship at the Marshall Space Flight Center in 2016. He earned his MS and PhD degrees in industrial and systems engineering from North Carolina State University, and his BS degree in industrial engineering from Universidad Católica Andres Bello — the oldest of three Jesuit universities in Venezuela.

“Dr. Carrano brings to the School of Engineering a wealth of experience in developing cutting-edge programs, directing laboratory and research initiatives, and cultivating strong industry partnerships,” said Fairfield University Provost Christine Siegel, PhD. “His Jesuit-educated mindset, engineering expertise, and global perspective will continue to prepare our students to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving technology-based society, while encouraging them to appreciate the importance of service to the common good through the engineering profession.”

While at Auburn University, Dr. Carrano founded and co-directed the 3D-Printed BioSurfaces Laboratory and the International Research Group in Sustainable Pallets. At RIT, he founded the Toyota Production Systems Laboratory and served as its director for more than a decade, growing the lab into a nationally recognized, award-winning facility. He was also instrumental in the development and delivery of a master’s program in sustainable engineering at RIT, the first of its kind in the U.S.