Dell appointed head of Automotive Technology

The College of Technology at Pittsburg State University has added a new chairman to its ranks.

Dr. Timothy Dell, assistant professor in the Department of Automotive Technology, has been named department chairman. He took over his new responsibilities July 1.

This is the first time the department, which offers some of the most highly regarded two- and four-year automotive programs in the country, has had its own dedicated chairman. For the past several years, Dr. John Iley has served as chairman of both the Department of Technology Studies as well as the Department of Automotive Technology. Iley will still head Technology Studies.

A native of Pittsburg, Dell earned a bachelor of science degree in automotive technology and a master of science degree in technology education from PSU. He recently completed a Ph.D. in education from Kansas State University.

“This is an extremely big job to do justice because each role is so important,” he said. “I wouldn’t have considered it if the faculty had not been so supportive and encouraging. I hope to take our nationally recognized programs to the next level.”

Dell began his career at PSU in 1999, teaching courses in fluid power, off-highway systems and automatic and advanced hydraulic transmissions. Prior to teaching, he worked for agriculture and construction equipment manufacturer Case-IH in Racine, Wis., where he served as a trouble shooter for dealers with equipment problems.

In addition to teaching, Dell has served as the department’s diesel and heavy equipment coordinator for five years, and oversees the Caterpillar Think Bigger program, the only program of its kind in the U.S. He also serves on the John Deere National Training Council – one of only two instructors to do so nationwide.

Dell and his wife, Bertha, have a son, Calvin.

---Pitt State---