WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis announced he would step down as president effective June 30th:
“President Dennis Assanis is a scientific leader himself, a patent holder and innovator, and a transformational leader for the University of Delaware. Since 2016, he has brought a focus to the university on steady investment and improvement in the quality of campus research facilities, on the competitiveness of student admissions, on the quality of research—both federally and privately funded—and on the general future of the University of Delaware.
“Dennis and his beloved wife Eleni have been a constant presence not just on UD’s campus, but throughout Delaware. As someone whose aspirations and vision for the future of the University of Delaware and its role in our state have been to constantly press for more, for greater, for better, his particular focus on the STAR campus and NIIMBL—the National Institute for Innovation in the Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals—and in collaborative research has elevated UD dramatically and has resulted in lasting and positive change for the better.
“My entire family and I express our deep gratitude to President Assanis for his tireless, energetic, effective, and innovative leadership of the University of Delaware. He has been one of the most important presidents in the history of the university, and I wish him well in his next chapter.”