Joseph E. Saliba, Ph.D. is the former Provost of the University of Dayton (UD), a top-tier Catholic research university, the 10th largest Catholic institution in the U.S, and the largest private university in the State of Ohio. He earned three engineering degrees (BS, MS, and a Ph.D.) from the University of Dayton in six years. Dr. Saliba’s experience spans 35 years as a faculty, an administrator, and as a practicing engineer.

As Provost he led the effort of redefining UD from a regional institution to a global university. He succeeded in bringing the world to UD and sending UD to the world. He increased the number of international students from 300 to 2,000, established a 68,000 square-foot University of Dayton China Institute in Suzhou China, and strengthened the Bangalore India program.

His creative initiatives in the area of enrollment strategies have been extraordinarily fruitful in bringing more highly qualified students to UD. Undergraduate enrollment increased by 10%, acceptance rate was lowered from high-80 to high-50%, and significantly broadened the demographic profile from 65% in-state to 45%. These achievements have arisen from deliberate, long-term strategic planning.

During his tenure as Provost at UD, a period that saw freezes and reductions at colleges and universities across the country, he successfully added a substantial number of new faculty every year (total of 45 new full-time faculty), nearly doubled the physical area of the campus, made major investments in buildings and infrastructure, launched several ambitious academic programs, increased the number of endowed chairs, and made major advances in funding for research. During his tenure as provost the budget was in the black every year with an average surplus of about $35M (6% of operation).

Dr. Saliba continues to be very active in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU). He served on the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) for more than two decades.