NORTHRIDGE : Dean of Engineering Named by CSUN

Even after the campus of his potential employer was hit by the Northridge earthquake in January, Charles Alexander had no misgivings about moving to Southern California.

After all, he decided it could not be any more dangerous than driving in Philadelphia.

“I never really thought anything about it,” said Alexander, who was named last week as the new dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Cal State Northridge.

Alexander, 50, comes to Northridge from Temple University in Philadelphia, where he is the acting dean of the College of Engineering. He had been a professor and chairman of the department of electrical engineering at Temple since 1986.

As Cal State Northridge continues to recover from the earthquake, Alexander said he knows “there’s a lot of work to be done and a lot to be accomplished.”

But he said he was impressed watching how the school was able to recover from the disaster.

“The faculty, staff and administration were absolutely incredible to keep the school functioning after the earthquake,” Alexander said. “The energy and cooperation to do that just staggers the mind.”

Alexander replaces acting Dean Diane Schwartz, who has headed the department for two years. He will officially take over the job on Sept. 1, although he will be on campus next month to familiarize himself with the school.