Professor Leonardo R. Arriola from UC Berkeley has been named dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) as of Aug. 1.
Vice Chancellor and Provost Betsy Dumont made the announcement today, saying Arriola was chosen after a nationwide search that produced a diverse array of candidates.
Arriola has been a political science professor at Berkeley, where he also served as director of the Center for African Studies, senior associate dean for the Social Sciences Division, and a regional associate dean for Research Administration. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University and a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University.
His scholarly work includes studies of challenges of representation and governance in multiethnic societies, including inter-ethnic political cooperation; political violence in divided societies; and strategies of human rights advocacy. His award-winning research has been published in the flagship journals of his discipline and in books published by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press.
Professor Heather Bortfeld has been leading SSHA since Dean Jeffrey Gilger stepped down in December.
“Arriola will lead SSHA through the next phase of its evolution and development, providing academic and administrative leadership to SSHA faculty, staff and students,” Dumont said.
Among the most important responsibilities, Arriola will lead the vision and strategy for SSHA, recruiting, retaining and supporting SSHA’s faculty, enhancing the school’s academic profile and scholarly impact, growing the student body, advancing the school’s administrative structure and function and advocating for SSHA internally and externally, Dumont said.
