Dr. Mary L. Good announced that she will retire June 30, 2011, as dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Good has served as dean since the college’s founding in 1999. Under her leadership, EIT has developed a national reputation for excellence for assembling a first-class faculty, graduating students prepared to succeed in high-paying engineering and technology jobs, and having a major positive impact on economic development in central Arkansas.

“I have enjoyed the challenges of establishing and growing a college with programs so relevant to the 21st Century economy and helping prepare students for successful, productive lives and careers,” Good said. “The faculty and staff of this college are to be commended for building a college we can all be proud of. And, of course, it’s the students who have succeeded in our very rigorous programs who are the ultimate ambassadors for EIT.”

The EIT curriculum was developed with input from area engineering and technology employers. Major Arkansas employers, including Acxiom, Southwest Power Pool, Verizon Wireless, and SAIC, have supported the college’s programs and students through funding research and facilities and hiring students for both internships and career employment.

“Mary Good came to UALR as a person with national stature in higher education, industry, and government,” said Chancellor Joel Anderson. “In 10 years, she took EIT from concept to exceptional reality. With her unmistakable intellectual strength and well-known inability to take no for an answer, this hard-charging Arkansas woman was the ideal choice to serve as founding dean of EIT.”

Anderson said UALR will conduct a national search to identify candidates for Good’s replacement.

Under Good’s leadership, EIT added two unique programs – systems engineering and information science. The number of students with declared majors in the college increased from 335 to more than 900.

Good’s 11 years as EIT dean cap a stellar 57-year career that included major accomplishments in academia, corporate America, and public service.