Henderson named first Barrett associate dean at Polytechnic

Mark Henderson has been named the first associate dean of Barrett, The Honors College, at the Polytechnic Campus. He was chosen after an open search with a selection committee consisting of each of the deans of colleges at Polytechnic or their representatives.

Henderson is a professor in the College of Technology and Innovation at the Polytechnic campus and has been on the engineering faculty at ASU since 1984.  He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.

Although his early research was in geometric modeling, since 2005 Henderson has published on global design education, design thinking and curriculum development, especially around social entrepreneurship and product design for the developing world.

He is a founding faculty member of the Department of Engineering at the Polytechnic campus and a co-founder of InnovationSpace, a collaboration between the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering and W.P. Carey School of Business. The transdisciplinary research lab teaches students how to develop products that create market value while serving real societal needs and minimizing impacts on the environment.

Henderson is a co-founder of GlobalResolve, a social entrepreneurship program designed to enhance the educational experience for ASU students by involving them in semester-long projects that directly improve the lives of underprivileged people, especially those in under-developed nations. The program works with partners to develop sustainable technologies and programs in the areas of energy, clean water and local economic development.

He also has received the President’s Innovation Award and the Alumni Association Creasman Award.

“The Polytechnic campus now has approximately 65 Barrett students, and is building to a much larger number, with their own future residential spaces,” says Mark Jacobs, dean of Barrett. “The campus will need to offer more honors courses in all the colleges represented there, and sponsor more honors theses. Professor Henderson can work with departments and schools to help that happen.

“He was chosen out of the group of exceptional Polytechnic faculty members who expressed interest in the position because he had more experience with honors students in courses, thesis work and summer abroad trips than the other candidates. I look forward to his leadership.”

For more information on the GlobalResolve program, go to http://globalresolve.asu.edu.