William Osborne honored by IEEE

College of Engineering Dean William P. Osborne has been selected as a fellow by the nation's leading organization for electrical and electronic engineers.

William Osborne

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc. honored Osborne by conferring him as an IEEE Fellow by the IEEE Communications Society. The honor was effective Jan. 1.

Osborne was selected for his contributions to and leadership in engineering education. The organization, which dates to 1884, promotes advancement of science, technology and applications in communications and related disciplines. There are more than 365,000 members in more than 150 countries, and nearly 40 percent are outside the United States, according to the organization.

"It's the kind of professional honor you sort of wait for all your life, and I'm really excited about it,” Osborne said.

Less than 1 percent of the organization's membership is selected as a fellow, "so it puts you at the top of your profession,” Osborne said.

Osborne was named engineering college dean last year. Prior to coming to SIUC he was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Prior to that he served as dean of the School of Computing and Engineering there for two years.

He was dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas (Dallas) from 1995 to 2002, and was a professor of electrical and computer engineering at New Mexico State University from 1990 to 1995. His work as an electrical engineer has included stints at Comsat Corp., Harris Corp. and Telinq Systems Inc.