July 5, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jean Ann Linney, Ph.D., vice president and associate provost for faculty and academic governance at the University of Notre Dame, is the new dean for the UAB School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. UAB Provost Eli Capilouto made the announcement today and Linney will join UAB Aug. 15.

“Dr. Linney understands the valuable contributions made through the fields in the School and the impact the people in those fields can have on the everyday lives of people,” Capilouto said. “She will work throughout our university ensuring that our faculty, staff and students in social and behavioral sciences are able to team with others to address these community and societal issues.

“The search committee led by Dr. Philip Way, associate provost for undergraduate programs, conducted a very thorough national search and brought forward candidates who truly were exemplary.”

At Notre Dame, Linney had responsibility for faculty development, the tenure and promotion process, as well as the appeal and grievance process for faculty. She also oversaw faculty diversity initiatives, academic governance and the University of Notre Dame Press, as well as the Snite Museum of Art.

“UAB is a major research university and the programs in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences have the potential to make a significant difference in the world; I am excited to be a part of that,” Linney said. “Many of the world’s most difficult issues can be better understood with contributions from the disciplines within the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. I look forward to working with the UAB faculty and students in advancing the university’s important mission.”

Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2004, Linney spent 21 years at the University of South Carolina, serving as chair of the department of psychology, associate dean for graduate studies and faculty development for the College of Liberal Arts and the director of graduate training in clinical-community psychology. She also has served on the faculty at the University of Virginia and Miami University.

Linney has served on numerous grant review committees within the National Institutes of Health, including as chair of the Child and Adolescent Risk and Prevention Review Committee for the National Institute of Mental Health. She has served as president of the Society for Community Research and Action, a division of the American Psychological Association.

Linney earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., before earning her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.