Patricia J. S. Colberg Named Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

University of Idaho College of Engineering Interim Associate Dean Patricia J. S. Colberg has been named Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the college.

Colberg brings extensive knowledge of the college’s programs, policies and educational initiatives to this permanent academic position.

"Making a difference, especially to students, has guided everything I have done for my entire career as a faculty member – both here at the University of Idaho and at the University of Wyoming,” Colberg said. “I am committed to continuing to do whatever I can as Associate Dean to provide our students with the resources, support and guidance they need to realize their professional goals while maintaining the college’s high academic standards."

During the past year as interim associate dean, Colberg developed a plan to award engineering scholarships more strategically, streamlined the college's subwaiver process, refined policies on probation and disqualification, managed the renovation of a new teaching laboratory in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and was a member of the President's Sustainability Task Force. 

She co-led the development of the new First-Year Engineering course, ENGR 123, a major retention initiative within the college that introduces first-year students to critical thinking, communications, teamwork and professional skills development, and helps students build a professional identity.

Colberg is recipient of Athena's Woman of the Year Award (Administrator) for 2022 in recognition of her efforts to enhance women’s professional lives at U of I.

Colberg came to U of I in fall 2015 to serve as Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She was on the faculty for 23 years at the University of Wyoming, where she was the first woman to achieve the rank of full professor in the College of Engineering and holds title as Professor Emeritus. She received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and held research positions for several years in Switzerland and The Netherlands before joining the UW faculty. She is a licensed professional engineer in Wyoming and Idaho. She was named an Education Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and is a former ABET IDEAL Senior Scholar.