Dean Dale Eric Wurster

Dale Eric Wurster joined the Graduate College team in January 2002. At the time of his appointment he was already familiar with many of the administrative functions of the Graduate College, having served two terms on Graduate Council as well as serving on several ad-hoc Graduate College committees. 

As Associate Dean, he is in charge of managing and supporting the curriculum and academic activities of the graduate faculty and graduate students in approximately 100 graduate programs enrolling over 6,000 students.  Dean Wurster’s particular Graduate College responsibilities are:

• Review current graduate programs as well as review proposals for new programs and proposed changes in existing programs

• Review and approve comprehensive exam and thesis defense committees

• Monitor student progress/probation/and dismissal

• Coordinate the resolution of problems affecting graduate student progress

Dr. Wurster received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1974.  The Ph.D. Degree (Physical Pharmacy) was granted in 1979 by Purdue University.  Upon graduation, Dr. Wurster joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) as an Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy.  Since 1982 he has been on the faculty of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1987 and to Professor in 1996.  In addition to his professorial duties, he was Division Head of Pharmaceutics from January 1 of 2000 through December 31 of 2001, and has been the Associate Dean of the University of Iowa Graduate College since January 1 of 2002.

Dean Wurster has taught various undergraduate pharmaceutics courses and has taught surface phenomena, instrumental analysis, and chemical kinetics at the graduate level.  He has served as major professor for 26 Ph.D. graduates, and is currently directing the thesis research of 4 Ph.D. students.

Dr. Wurster's research interests include: surface phenomena (especially adsorption-desorption thermodynamics and the determination of adsorbent surface composition), isoperibol and isothermal solution calorimetry, compression calorimetry, analytical applications of FTIR spectroscopy, and kinetics of chemical decomposition in micellar systems. Support has come from the Department of Defense, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and various industrial sources. He is the author or co-author of over 150 peer-reviewed abstracts and research articles.

Dr. Wurster is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and a member of the American Chemical Society, Materials Research Society, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Rho Chi Society, and Society of Sigma Xi. He serves on the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and is a member of the United States Pharmacopeial Convention Committee of Experts (1995-2000, 2000-2005, and 2005-2010).