10/29/2024
By Joseph Hartman
Among his many accomplishments as dean, and associate dean for graduate studies before that, Jim’s leadership has led to dramatic increases in research expenditures by outstanding engineering faculty. Amazingly, the College of Engineering moved from its top 10 researchers averaging $300,000 in research funding a year in 2013 to all college tenure-track faculty averaging more than $300,000 by 2021.
He has also been instrumental in building alliances with local companies through the use of remote learning technologies. For example, the Analog Devices/UMass Lowell Master’s Fellowship Program provides a fully funded, accelerated path for employees in the company’s aerospace and defense business unit to pursue master’s degrees in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or computer science.
“I would like to personally thank Dean Sherwood for his close friendship and partnership with Analog Devices,” said Bryan Goldstein, Analog Devices vice president of the aerospace and defense business unit and a College of Engineering Advisory Board member. “This relationship was pivotal in creating the hi-flex classroom, the RF/Microwave Learning Laboratory, and the ADI Aerospace and Defense Master Fellowship, which have enhanced the region’s ability to provide a world-class, hands-on learning experience for our next generation of innovators. Best wishes on the next step in your life journey.”
Jim didn’t just facilitate the success of other faculty. He is a skilled educator, teaching mechanical engineering classes for more than 20 years. As a researcher, he founded in 1998 the UMass Lowell Baseball Research Center in collaboration with Major League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods. This lab has played a central role in the education of dozens of graduate students and elevated UMass Lowell on a national stage.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as dean and for the support of my colleagues and the university community,” said Sherwood. “The Francis College of Engineering gives its students an education beyond what they can get out of books and classroom lectures. Our faculty, our co-op and internship opportunities and our network of incredibly skilled and successful engineering alumni create a strong foundation for new UMass Lowell engineering graduates as they launch their careers.”
Jim joined UMass Lowell from the University of New Hampshire in 1993 as the college was making its first big move into a greater research focus. Prior to his academic career he served as an engineer at Pratt Whitney Aircraft and B.F. Goodrich Aerospace. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati.
“It was Jim Sherwood who first recruited me to UMass Lowell, and once I was here, he was – and is – a great colleague,” said Chancellor Julie Chen. “We worked together in researching composite materials and had the same vision for what research looked like in the lab — a joint, collaborative environment where all of our students could interact, learn and grow together. Jim also advocated for our students outside the laboratory, increasing industry partnerships and co-op opportunities for our engineering students and graduates. Thank you, Jim, for all you’ve done for UMass Lowell.”
Speaking on behalf of the Francis College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), Co-Chairs Cindy Conde ‘87 ‘91 and Mark Saab ‘81 ‘13(H) wished Sherwood well.
“We want to congratulate Dean Sherwood on his well-deserved retirement. It has been an honor and a pleasure working with him over the last several years. Under his leadership, the IAB has been transformed from being an advisory body to a higher performing, action-oriented team with a unified focus on making impactful improvements to advance the FCOE, bolster relationships with Industry, and create an environment where students can be successful. We will miss him at the helm and wish him all the best!”
A national search for a new dean of the Francis College of Engineering will begin shortly. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Jim’s achievements and wishing him success as he moves on to the next phase in his career.