June 13, 2013

Contact: Dinah Winnick, dwinnick@umbc.edu, 410-455-8117

UMBC is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Scott E. Casper as Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Professor of History effective July 1, 2013.

Dr. Casper joins UMBC from the University of Nevada, Reno, where for a year and a half he served as the Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Prior to his appointment as Interim Dean, he served as Chair of the Department of History, the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of History, and a Professor of History.

“UMBC is very fortunate to have someone of Dr. Casper’s impressive experience, abilities and talent to serve as dean of our largest college, and I know he will be a valuable addition to our campus community,” said Philip Rous, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

In addition to his leadership experience, Dr. Casper brings with him an outstanding record of scholarship. He received his A.B. in History from Princeton University in 1986; his M.A. and M. Phil in American Studies from Yale University in 1990; and his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University in 1992. He is the author of Sarah Johnson’s Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine and Constructing American Lives: Biography and Culture in Nineteenth-Century America. He also has edited numerous books, including Moving Stories: Migration and the American West and the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. He currently chairs the Advisory Board for the SAT Examination in U.S. History and serves as a delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies.

Dr. Casper has been recognized for his leadership and excellence in teaching. He served as chair of the Faculty Senate at the University of Nevada, Reno and as a member of university-wide planning, search, and review committees. Dr. Casper was named the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professor in 2010 and the Carnegie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching/Council for Advancement and Support of Education Nevada Professor of the Year in 2008.

"It is a delight to join the extraordinary community of faculty, staff and students at UMBC and in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences,” said Dr. Casper. “UMBC transforms lives in everything it does, and I look forward to contributing to that mission.”

As Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Dr. Casper will lead the College in advancing excellence in teaching, research and service. He will work collaboratively with his colleagues across campus to promote innovative interdisciplinary teaching and research. Dr. Casper will supervise the College’s strategic planning and budget development; oversee teaching, research, outreach and administration within the College; develop and promote activities that support a large and diverse faculty; and oversee faculty recruitment and development, promotion and tenure, and appointments.

Dr. Casper’s appointment as Dean brings to a conclusion a successful national search for a leader who will build upon, and enhance, the outstanding reputation of the College in teaching, research, outreach and service.

Photo by Marlayna Demond for UMBC.