Kettering names Dr. Babak Elahi dean of College of Science and Liberal Arts

Flint, MI – Dr. Babak Elahi has been named Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts (CSLA) at Kettering University, effective Aug. 1, 2023.

“I’m excited to bring my vision for the college to my colleagues and the University,” Elahi said in a Kettering press release on July 28. “It is sobering because this comes with a lot of responsibility to students, faculty and staff. I’m confident I can provide the leadership the college needs right now.”

Elahi has served as CSLA’s interim dean since Jan. 2023, according to the same release. He said that he believes that role has provided insight he can use moving forward.

“There is a great wealth of talent, energy and positivity in the college,” he said. “Staff and faculty as well as students—even those not majoring in arts and sciences—have a lot to offer. My role will be, in part, to harness that energy and positivity, to bring people together and build something we can be proud of together.”

Elahi joined Kettering in 2019 as the Department Head of Liberal Arts, and teaches literature, film studies and technical communication as well as multiple seminars.

“I am very excited about Dr. Elahi’s appointment. He is a proven academic leader and a respected administrator,” said University Provost Dr. James Zhang. “Dr. Elahi’s strong commitment to teaching and learning, research excellence and academic leadership make him the perfect fit for the position.”

Before joining Kettering, Elahi was a professor of communication and literature in the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he also served as Associate Dean from 2011 to 2016.

Elahi holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from San Diego State University; a master’s degree in English and American Literature from the University of California, San Diego; and a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Rochester.

He is a member of the Academic Advisory Council for the Neda Nobari Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco University and has been a member of the Middle Eastern Studies Association, the Association for Iranian Studies and the Modern Language Association.

The incoming dean is also on the Board of Directors for both Flint’s M.A.D.E. Institute and Buckham Gallery.

According to the university’s release, Elahi’s research interests include American literature, popular culture, Iranian diasporic life writing, modern Iranian fiction and documentary film. He is also a musician with writing and performing credits on the musical score of the 2018 independent documentary “The House of Stronzo.”