SUBJECT:

Appointment of Associate Deans - Division of Social Sciences

I am very pleased to announce the appointments of David Lake, Professor and former Chair of the Department of Political Science; and Carol Padden, Professor and former Chair of the Department of Communication, as Associate Deans for the Division of Social Sciences, effective September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2011.

Professor Lake served as Acting Associate Dean for the previous two years, and was invaluable in this role. His primary focus will be on issues concerning academic personnel, administration of the Dean's Graduate Fellowship and Travel & Research awards, and development. Professor Lake is an internationally renowned scholar and leader in the area of governance studies. In addition to his outstanding leadership role in the division and his department, David is the founding chair of the International Political Economy Society, a Co-Director of the Political Science Network within the Social Science Research Network, and a former Vice President of the International Studies Association. He is the recipient of the UCSD Chancellor's Associates Award for Excellence in Graduate Education, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Padden will serve as the division's Faculty Equity Advisor. This position has been established in response to recommendations of the UCSD Workgroup on the Report of the UC President's Task Force on Faculty Diversity. As Associate Dean for Faculty Equity, Professor Padden will work with both the Dean's office and with departments in order to advance and sustain faculty equity and diversity in pursuit of academic excellence. Professor Padden is one of the world's leading scholars on sign languages and American deaf culture. Her most recent research deals with the origins of a new sign language in the Middle East. She has demonstrated superb leadership role in her department and on campus, serving as member of the Committee on Academic Personnel, Committee on Committees, as well as serving on numerous professional and governmental committees. She is the recipient of the Chancellor's Associates Outstanding Faculty Award, the Faculty Research Lecturer Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar Award.

I know that our departments and programs share my gratitude to Professors Lake and Padden for their willingness to serve the Division of Social Sciences in these important ways, and I look forward to working together with them in the coming years.

Jeff Elman Dean Division of Social Sciences