George De Feis, CE’82 Running for: Council

Campaign Statement

What Do I Plan To Do & How Will I Stand On The Issues
As a CU-engineering alumnus and now a certified academic, I can uniquely see both important perspectives. I plan to meet with each of the four (4) Deans at Cooper to strengthen mutual ground, while laying the foundation for long-term continued synergy between Cooper Union and the CUAA Executive Committee and Council. For example, if a particular committee requires alumni involvement, it is important that we work together to secure the best person possible to strengthen that Cooper committee, as that strengthens Cooper Union overall.

This council member will display empathetic understanding, positive temperament, fair negotiation skill, and above all else strive to seek the best for Cooper Union, as a whole, going forward. I have personally worked first-hand with academic professors, academic administrations and staffs, and student bodies at various New York institutions for over fifteen years, so I know what it takes to strengthen us toward a common goal.

Bio

Dr. George L. De Feis has over 25 years of service to the engineering industry, working for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Technology Utilization Foundation (TUF), and the Concrete Industry Board (CIB), before beginning a career in academia. He is current chairman (and assistant professor), department of management, healthcare management, and business administration at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY. De Feis has consulted to the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds. He completed his doctorate in management at Pace University in 2013, with a dissertation on “alliance sustainability” vis-à-vis “cohesiveness” of alliance partners and “goal achievement” of the customer. He also holds an M.B.A. in finance and investments (1987) from Bernard M. Baruch College (CUNY), and a B.E. in civil engineering (1982) from The Cooper Union. Dr. De Feis held executive positions for the ASCE, TUF, U.S. Chess Federation, CIB, and American Management Association. His current interests and writings are on the engineering and management issues of “sustainable development.” Dr. De Feis teaches courses in management, strategy, and management science topics, and he has written a textbook: Management Science: A Practical Approach For Today’s Business Management Student, 2nd Edition (Thomson/Cengage 2007).