Edwin Dorn, dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, announced his resignation Wednesday, effective Dec. 31.
"I have done everything I promised to do and more, so it is time for me to seek new challenges," Dorn said in a statement.
Dorn, a UT alumnus with a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, will remain at the University in a tenured faculty position. Dorn said he will be on research leave in 2005 to pursue "some long-deferred writing projects and the freedom to comment on current events."
Dorn became dean in July 1997 after serving as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the first term of the Clinton administration.
As dean, Dorn increased the LBJ School's emphasis on international affairs, leadership education, civil rights and diversity, said Megan Scarborough, a spokeswoman for the LBJ School.
Dorn organized the conference "Civil Rights: From Black and White to Color" held at the LBJ School in March to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which was passed while Dorn was a student at the University.
"That conference really was a reflection of his creative mind," Scarborough said. "He brought together some amazing speakers with very diverse points of view."
Dorn also oversaw the creation of eight new programs at the LBJ School, including the Center for Ethical Leadership, the Center for Health and Social Policy, and the Ada Anderson Fund for Civil Rights Studies.
Scarborough said Dorn is a "creative thinker" and a "true intellectual" with a great sense of humor and an approachable demeanor.
"I'm not sure if those are usual qualities in a dean," she said.
To fill Dorn's position, UT President Larry Faulkner will most likely appoint a search committee, said Elspeth Rostow, former dean of the LBJ School. An acting dean will assume Dorn's duties on Jan. 1, although it's too early to know who that might be, Rostow said.
Be the first to comment on this article!