Statement from Secretary Miguel Cardona on Confirmation of Nasser Paydar as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

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Statement from Secretary Miguel Cardona on Confirmation of Nasser Paydar as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

August 5, 2022

Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the following statement on the confirmation of Nasser Paydar as assistant secretary for postsecondary education:

"It is with great excitement that I congratulate Dr. Nasser Paydar on his confirmation as assistant secretary for postsecondary education. Dr. Paydar brings to the U.S. Department of Education more than three-and-a-half decades of experience as a university leader and educator, during which time he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating accessible pathways to college and careers for students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. I look forward to welcoming him aboard, and most importantly, working together to advance the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to build a more inclusive, equitable, and affordable higher education system than ever before."

About Nasser Paydar

Dr. Nasser H. Paydar is chancellor emeritus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and executive vice president of Indiana University (IU). An IU faculty member for more than 36 years, he has held various administrative and executive leadership positions at the university. Paydar joined IUPUI in 1985 as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering. From 1989 to 2003, he held a number of positions in the school, including chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, associate dean for graduate programs, associate dean for academic programs, and executive associate dean. From 2004 to 2007, he served as vice chancellor and dean of Indiana University–Purdue University Columbus. Paydar was appointed chancellor of Indiana University East in 2007, serving in that role until he returned to IUPUI in 2012, when he was named the campus's executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer. He became IUPUI's fifth chancellor in 2015.

As an IUPUI faculty member, he has served as principal and co-principal investigator on research grants from federal and state agencies and private companies, including Cummins Electronics, DePuy, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center. His research in the area of solid mechanics, with applications in biomechanics and electronic packaging, has been published widely in scientific journals. Paydar earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University.