Carolyn Boyd, chair of the history department, has been named dean of graduate studies at the University of California, Irvine effective Aug. 1, 2006, after a national search.

In that capacity, she will provide leadership in all areas of graduate education, serving as a campuswide advocate for graduate instruction and research. She will coordinate long-term planning, development of new programs and integration of graduate education across departments and schools, and also ensure the excellence of the programs as graduate and professional education at UCI continues to expand.

“We’re very pleased that Professor Boyd has accepted this position,” said Chancellor Michael V. Drake. “Her experience and enthusiasm will be key to our efforts to develop new graduate and professional programs and increase our graduate student population.”

Since 2003, Boyd has served as chair of the School of Humanities’ history department, a unit that has grown in both size and academic prominence in recent years. Boyd also is an affiliated faculty member for the interdisciplinary European studies major and the international studies program in the School of Social Sciences. Boyd has held several administrative posts, including director of graduate studies for the history department, and as an elected member of the Dean’s Advisory Group in the School of Humanities. Prior to her arrival at UCI in 1999, Boyd was a professor, chair of history and associate dean of graduate studies at the University of Texas, Austin.

Boyd’s research has focused on the politics and culture in Spain in the 19th and 20th centuries. She has written or edited several books as well as numerous chapters and articles in both Spanish and English, particularly on the role of the military in Spanish politics and conflicts over national identity. Her recent work explores the political agendas that drive decisions about how events in Spanish history are remembered collectively – through history textbooks and national monuments.

Boyd was recently honored with a fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and has led joint research with faculty at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid through a grant from the University of California’s Humanities Research Institute. For four years, she headed the Society for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies as its general secretary, and she has served as chair of the Modern European History Section of the American Historical Association. Boyd also reviews manuscripts for several academic presses and journals, including Princeton University Press, Oxford University Press, the Journal of Contemporary History and the Journal of Military History.

She received her doctorate in history from the University of Washington.

“It’s a great privilege and exciting opportunity to lead the enhancement of graduate education at UCI,” said Boyd. “To move forward, we need to further strengthen existing programs while encouraging the development of new professional and interdisciplinary programs whose graduates will be leaders in their fields. My predecessor Bill Parker has done a terrific job promoting excellence in graduate studies, and I am eager to carry forward those high standards as UCI’s graduate programs continue to grow and evolve.”

Parker has served as vice chancellor for research and dean of graduate studies since July 2000. Due to campus growth and the increasing complexity of the vice chancellor and dean’s roles, the position has been split in two. A recruitment is currently under way for the vice chancellor of research, and it is expected to be filled by July 1.

About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

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Office of Graduate Studies

Department of History

Jim Cohen
(949) 824-7913
jecohen@uci.edu