the School as an assistant professor of electrical engineering,
conducted cutting-edge research in computer design and
development, and founded the Center for Semicustom
Integrated Systems. He chaired the department from 1996 to
2003. He was appointed interim dean in 2004 and assumed
his present post a year later.
“Personal experience has convinced me that the key to
the School’s future rests on people — students and faculty as
well as alumni and industry partners,” Aylor says. He started
with faculty. As dean, he has worked tirelessly to secure
funding for additional faculty and to attract the best possible
candidates for new and replacement positions. “We have taken
the opportunity to rejuvenate the School and to build critical
mass in a number of key fields,” Aylor says. “This has helped
raise our profile and made us a more attractive collaborator.”
Research funding has doubled during his tenure as dean, even
as federal sources of research funding have declined.
To ensure that the Engineering School made focused
hiring decisions, Aylor and a team conducted a strategic
planning initiative, which was concluded in 2011. The
plan calls for the School to focus its research on societal
challenges in sustainability, health, cyber and physical
infrastructure, and personal and society-wide security.
Faculty growth also provided the cornerstone of Aylor’s
efforts to meet increasing demand for the undergraduate
program and enhance the graduate program. “It was
important to maintain the close faculty-student relationships
that have always characterized the School,” he says.
Undergraduate enrollment rose by one-third between 2005
and 2014, even as the number of applicants more than
doubled. Thanks to more-competitive admissions, the median
combined SAT scores of Engineering School entering classes
are now the highest of any school at the University.
Research funding secured by the faculty has also energized
the graduate program. The School now has more graduate
students than at any time in its history.
“Our responsibility — and it’s one I feel deeply — is to
provide an education that’s equal to the talents of our
students,” Aylor says. Under his leadership, the School has
expanded the engineering business minor, introduced an
entrepreneurship minor and offered a teaching mentorship
program for graduate students. In addition, it has greatly
expanded its experiential learning program.
As an alumnus himself, Aylor has been notably successful
in engaging the School’s graduates in advancing these
initiatives. With their support, he opened the Rice Hall
Information Technology Engineering Building, as well as Lacy
Hall and the Ann Warrick Lacy Experiential Learning Center.
Aylor has also has been a pioneer in forging innovative
alliances with government agencies and corporations, which
taken together have generated significant research support
for the School, funded several professorships and provided
exceptional learning and career opportunities for students.
Aylor played a pivotal role in founding U.Va.’s Applied
Research Institute, which provides a conduit for government
and businesses seeking to access University expertise and
resources. He was also a driving force behind the formation
of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing,
a partnership that includes five university members, 21
industry members and NASA.
“Jim’s leadership has been transformative for the School,”
says David Gee, president of the Engineering School Trustees.
“His vision and energy have led to improvements and growth
in the School and have set the stage for future success.”
REN O VATE D T H O R N T O N S TA CKS D E D ICAT E D T O D E A N JA M E S AYLOR
Photograph: Ashley Thornton
Having made a lead gift to renovate the Thornton Stacks, the Raber family — Bradley (Darden ’15),
Katherine (SIE ’12), Steven and Karen Raber — dedicated the facility to Dean James Aylor (at right).
With its 16-foot ceilings and row of Palladian
windows facing Darden Court, Thornton Stacks
retains hints of its original function as the
Engineering Library. Stripped of its books, it
has gone through a number of transformations,
ultimately serving as a large study hall.
With funding from parents Steven and Karen
Raber, as well as the U.Va. Alumni Association’s
Jefferson Trust and the Engineering Student
Council, this elegant room has been converted
to a collaborative learning space. At its
unveiling, the Rabers surprised Dean James
Aylor by naming the newly renovated facility
the James H. Aylor Student Collaboration
Center. “Without overstatement, we can
honestly say that Jim has made a significant
difference in our children's and, consequently,
our family's lives,” says Steven Raber. “Honoring
him in this small way is our way of saying thanks.”
U.Va. ENGINEERING UNBOUND
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