Feniosky Peña-Mora Explained

Feniosky Peña-Mora
Term Start:	April 8, 2014^[1]
Term End:	June 21, 2017
Successor:	Ana Barrio (interim)^[2]
Birth Date:	6 March 1966
Spouse:	Minosca Alcantara

Feniosky Peña-Mora (born March 6, 1966) is a Dominican-born engineer, educator, and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. He also served as the 14th Dean of Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and as the Associate Provost of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Career

Higher education

Peña-Mora is the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University.^[3] Previously, he was also the dean of the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science at the university.^[4]

As dean, he focused on implementing a three-pronged strategic plan encompassing faculty excellence, student support, and space growth. During his deanship, the School of Engineering and Applied Science doubled its endowed chairs and raised $75 million for Columbia Engineering.^{[5] [6]} Peña-Mora also led the reformulation of the online Master's program in engineering, which ranked number 1 in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report.^[7]

Peña-Mora's tenure was controversial. A number of faculty members and department chairmen passed a "no-confidence" vote in his leadership.^[8] They criticized his self-serving style of management, his hasty expansion of the engineering school, which overloaded professors with too many students, and asserted that he prioritized fund-raising over research and did not honor his promises. One of Peña-Mora's most vocal critics, Van C. Mow, called him a "control freak" and stepped down from his position as Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2011.^[9] Mow's harsh critique was challenged by some as being driven by his general "resistance to change," especially when implemented by a dean 26 years his junior. After various attempts to bridge the differences, Peña-Mora eventually resigned in July 2012.^[10]

Peña-Mora resigned from his position as Dean in July 2012.^[11] As a results, some questioned their “confidence—as well as the confidence of many others at Columbia—in the ability of Columbia to maintain diverse leadership at the top.”^[12] Faculty, students and community leaders complained about “racial bias in its ranks“.^[13] A highly regarded Hispanic biology professor has complained to Columbia President Lee Bollinger about the "ethnic bullying", "unbridled racism" and "the shameful bullying of our engineering Dean Peña-Mora shows similar characteristics" to the ‘gauntlet’ other minority faculty have faced at Columbia.”^[13] Another professor communicated how senior faculty in engineering even “complain about his [Peña-Mora] Spanish accent"; which was especially surprising, given that Israel-born Zvi Galil, Dean of the Engineering School from 1995–2007, had a strong accent that was "loved" by many.^[14]

Peña-Mora continues to supervise PhD and graduate research students and was listed as being on "public service leave" while serving at the DDC. He maintains a named professorship with a salary of more than $500,000 in 2015 on top of his salary as Commissioner.^[15]

Public service

On April 8, 2014, Dr. Peña-Mora was appointed the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) by Mayor Bill de Blasio. While Commissioner, Peña-Mora visited many of the DDC's projects, including the rehabilitation of the High Bridge, which restored a vital link between upper Manhattan and the Bronx; the new New York City Police Academy in College Point, Queens, which will train more than 1,600 new police officers each year to protect the City; the Ocean Breeze Athletic Center, which symbolizes continued investment in neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Sandy; and, the transformation of Times Square into a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Controversy followed Peña-Mora to the public sector in 2016 when a supposed quid pro quo scheme was uncovered, as Peña-Mora directed DDC funds and City contracts to Renee Sacks, and organizations she works with, and Sacks' firm, Sacks Communications, made its entire Spring 2016 issue of Diversity/Agenda magazine all about Peña-Mora.^[16]

On June 21, 2017, Peña-Mora announced his plans to step down from the DDC.^{[17] [18]} News reports tied his departure to "Hurricane Sandy rebuilding failures."^[19]

Patents

• Hussein, K. and Peña-Mora, F., “Collaborative Agent Interaction Control and Synchronization System,” MIT Case No. 8376S, Daly, Crowley & Mofford, LLP file MIT-057AUS, US Patent Application No. 09/540,947, Issued February 28, 2006.
• Peña-Mora, F. and Kuang, C., “Mechanisms and Artifacts to Manage Heterogeneous Platform Interfaces in a Collaboration,” MIT Case No. 9249S Daly, Crowley & Mofford, LLP file MIT-057BUS, US Patent Application No. 10/069,885, Issued January 9, 2007.
• Peña-Mora, F., Vadhavkar, S., Dwivedi, G., Kuang, C., and Wang, W., “Software Service Handoff Mechanism with A Performance Reliability Improvement Mechanism (PRIM) for a Collaborative Client-Server System,” MIT Case No. 9250S, Daly, Crowley & Mofford, LLP file MIT-092AUS, US Patent Application No. 10/069,797, Issued May 15, 2007.
• Peña-Mora, F., Park, M., Lee, S., Fulenwider, M., and Li, M. “Dynamic Planning Method and System,” MIT Case No. 9185S, Daly, Crowley & Mofford, LLP file MIT-086AUS, US Patent Application No. 10/068,119, US Patent No. 7,349,863, Issued March 25, 2008.
• Peña-Mora, F., Park, M., Lee, S., Fulenwider, M., and Li, M. “Reliability Buffering Technique Applied to a Project Planning Model,” MIT Case No. 9186S, Daly, Crowley & Mofford, LLP file MIT-087PUSP, US Patent No. 7,415,393, Issued August 19, 2008.
• Golparvar-Fard M., Peña-Mora, F., and Savarese, S. (2010). “D4AR- 4 Dimensional Augmented Reality Models for Automation and Visualization of Construction Progress Monitoring.” United States Provisional Patent Application No. 61/570,491, filed December 14, 2011.
• Thomas J., Peña-Mora, F., and Golparvar-Fard, M. (2009). “Mobile Workstation Chariot.” Provisional Patent, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Docket Number: TF08208-PRO).

External links

• New Dean is Feniosky Pena-Mora
• Curriculum Vitae
• New York Times: An Immigrant’s Journey to a Top Post at Columbia
• Columbia Spectator: Who runs Columbia: Find out who is large and in charge
• Research Group

Notes and References

1. Mayor de Blasio Appoints Heads Of Department Of Finance, Department Of Design And Construction, Mayor's Office Of Contract Services, And Brooklyn Navy Yard . New York City Office of the Mayor . April 8, 2014 . February 25, 2020.
2. Mayor de Blasio Appoints Lorraine Grillo as the Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction . July 16, 2018 . New York City Office of the Mayor . February 25, 2020.
3. Web site: CV. Columbia Engineering. Columbia University. October 24, 2014.
4. Web site: Sandoval. Edgar. ...dean of the American Dream.... nydailynews.com. 19 May 2009 . New York Daily News. October 24, 2014.
5. Web site: Columbia. University. Columbia University Campaign News. Columbia University. October 24, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20131129151708/http://giving.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/newsletter/201011/index.html. November 29, 2013. dead.
6. Web site: Masterson. Kathryn. Off Campus Is Now the Place to Be for Deans. 6 March 2011 . The Chronicle of Higher Education. October 24, 2014.
7. Web site: World Reports. US News. Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. U.S. News & World Report. October 24, 2012. April 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140401090614/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering. dead.
8. Web site: "SEAS Tenured Faculty Vote No-Confidence Peña-Mora, Prof Says," Columbia Spectator, May 18, 2012. . August 18, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305065700/http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2012/05/18/seas-tenured-faculty-vote-no-confidence-pe%C3%B1a-mora-prof-says . March 5, 2016 . dead .
9. News: PÉrez-Peña. Richard. Discord Over Dean Rocks Columbia Engineering School. New York Times. 7 December 2011. October 24, 2014.
10. News: Feniosky Peña-Mora, Columbia Engineering Dean, Steps Down. The New York Times. 2012-07-03. 2015-10-16. 0362-4331. Ariel. Kaminer.
11. News: Kaminer. Ariel . After Revolt, a Dean at Columbia Steps Down. New York Times. 4 July 2012 . October 24, 2014.
12. News: Schwarz. Alan. At Columbia, Faith of Some in President Is Shaken. New York Times. 2 September 2011 . October 24, 2014.
13. Web site: Gonzalez. Juan. Columbia University students and city and state politicians defend engineering dean over campaign of 'attacks'. New York Daily News. October 24, 2014.
14. Web site: Columbia Daily Spectator 5 December 2003 — Columbia Spectator. spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 21 June 2017.
15. Web site: Columbia paid city commissioner more than $500K in 2015. Skelding. Conor. 5 August 2016 . DNAinfo.
16. Web site: City Paid Magazine Publisher to Devote Entire Issue to DDC Commissioner. DNAinfo New York. 21 June 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170711140914/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160614/long-island-city/city-paid-magazine-publisher-devote-entire-issue-ddc-commissioner. 11 July 2017.
17. Web site: Statement from Mayor de Blasio on the Departure of DDC Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora. 21 June 2017. 16 September 2018.
18. Web site: City's Embattled 'Build it Back' Head to Resign, Sources Say. DNAinfo New York. 21 June 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170621143140/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170621/long-island-city/feniosky-pea-mora-resigns-department-of-design-and-consturction. 21 June 2017.
19. Web site: Department of Design and Construction chief to step down amid Hurricane Sandy rebuilding failures - NY Daily News. James Fanelli, Erin. Durkin. . 20 June 2017 . 16 September 2018.