Biography for:
Dr. John A. Brighton
Assistant Director Engineering
John A. Brighton began his tenure as Assistant Director for Engineering at the National Science Foundation on April 30, 2003. He is on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment from National-Louis University. Immediately prior to this appointment he served as Provost of National-Louis University. He previously served as Chair of the Teaching and Learning Consortium at The Pennsylvania State University from July 1999-June 2002. Dr. Brighton also served Penn State as Executive Vice President and Provost from July 1991-June 1999, Dean of the College of Engineering from 1988-1991, Director of the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1982-1988, and as Chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University from 1977-1982. Prior to taking a position at Penn State in 1965, Dr. Brighton served as assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University where he worked his way through the academic ranks to become a professor of Mechanical Engineering.
As second in command at Penn State, Dr. Brighton was chief academic officer of the university. He was responsible to the president for the administration of the university’s resident instruction, continuing education and research programs and procedures, and for the general welfare of the faculty and students.
Early in his tenure as Penn State’s provost, Dr. Brighton served as chair of the University Future Committee, which was appointed by the president in 1992 and charged with the task of developing initiatives to increase the quality and national reputation of the institution. He also chaired the University Planning Council, which completed a university-wide strategic plan for the years 1997-2002. Dr. Brighton was also instrumental in helping the university deal with change through the principles of continuous improvement. The University Council on Continuous Quality Improvement was appointed in 1991 and the University CQI Center was established in 1992. Planning functions were merged with CQI in 1996 and this office became the Center for Quality and Planning. Over 250 CQI teams have been involved in process improvements at Penn State since the inception of this initiative.
Dr. Brighton made valuing diversity a priority for Penn State. In 1994 he established the Women in Sciences and Engineering Institute to enhance recruitment and retention of women students and faculty in these disciplines and to identify ways to create a more supportive climate for women at Penn State. He also introduced the concept of diversity planning into the university-wide strategic planning process. Under his leadership, Penn State produced a comprehensive diversity strategic plan for the period 1997-2002, which built upon the university’s strengths and improved diversity outcomes.
Continually improving the quality of education is an important academic goal for which Dr. Brighton is an active proponent. In 1992 he established the Provost’s Collaborative Instructional and Curricular Innovation Award at Penn State, which is intended to recognize outstanding collaborative teaching efforts of faculty who have also demonstrated strengths as scholars and researchers. He also established the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning in 1995, which assists faculty and students in developing effective practices for active and collaborative learning.
Born in Gosport, Indiana, Dr. Brighton received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
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