November 10, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will serve as interim dean of the university's new College of Arts and Sciences effective Jan. 1, 2010, said Provost Eli Capilouto.

 "Dean Linney has the depth and breadth of credentials to serve in this interim capacity," Capilouto said. "She has been very engaged in the realignment process and is excited about the potential of this initiative."

Linney has been dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences since fall 2007. Previously she was vice president and associate provost for faculty and academic governance at the University of Notre Dame. There, she was responsible for faculty development, the tenure and promotion process and the appeal and grievance process for faculty. She also oversaw faculty diversity initiatives, academic governance and the University of Notre Dame Press, as well as the Snite Museum of Art.

Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2004, Linney spent 21 years at the University of South Carolina, serving as chair of the department of psychology, associate dean for graduate studies and faculty development for the College of Liberal Arts and director of graduate training in clinical-community psychology. She also has served on the faculty at the University of Virginia and Miami University. Linney earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., before earning her master's degree and doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"This is a very exciting time at UAB and I am looking forward to helping lay the groundwork for our new college," Linney said.

Capilouto said a national search for a permanent dean will begin in the very near future. The search committee will be headed by Harold Jones, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Professions.

UAB President Carol Z. Garrison announced last month that three schools - Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics - would be merging into the new college; a fourth, the School of Education, will retain its school identity as a distinct unit, but also will be part of the new college. That decision followed the work of an Academic Realignment Commission that reviewed and assessed various options for the organization of UAB's six non-medical schools.

About UAB

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center and the state of Alabama's largest employer with some 18,000 employees and an economic impact of more than $3 billion on the Birmingham area. UAB has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to America's communities, and in 2008 ranked nationally as one of the top 5 "Best Places to Work in Academia" in a survey published by The Scientist magazine. For more information, please visit www.uab.edu.