August 26, 2005

Historian Michael Bernstein Named Dean Of Arts And Humanities

By Barry Jagoda

Historian Michael A. Bernstein, a well-known authority on 20^th century American economic history, has been named dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities at the University of California, San Diego.

Bernstein, a campus leader who served as chair of UCSD’s Academic Senate in 2001-02 and previously as chair of the Department of History, will assume academic responsibility for six academic departments and 14 interdisciplinary programs. Bernstein, whose appointment as dean is effective September 1, succeeds Georgios Anagnostopoulos, who has served as interim dean since the retirement of previous long-time Dean Frantisek Deak in 2004.

“I am very pleased that Michael Bernstein has agreed to take on this important leadership position,” said UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “The Arts and Humanities have a vital role in UCSD’s academic and cultural spheres, and I expect that the new dean will take some of these exceptional programs to an even higher level of awareness and achievement. This division has great strengths—including top-ranked programs in theater, digital arts, and film as well as Latin American and Asian history—and will be well served by Michael Bernstein’s energy, drive and leadership.”

An award-winning teacher, Bernstein earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Yale University. His research and teaching interests focus on the economic and political history of the United States, macroeconomic theory, industrial organization economics and the history of economic theory.

A former Fulbright Scholar at Christ’s College at Cambridge University, Bernstein has received research grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association and the Economic History Association. In addition, he has been an Andrew Mellon Fellow at the National Humanities Center and has held a Residency Fellowship at Sophia University in Tokyo under the joint auspices of the Organization of American Historians and the Japanese Association for American Studies. Bernstein was also the recent recipient of the UCSD Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award.

“Michael Bernstein has proven himself as an academic leader at UCSD,” said Marsha Chandler, UCSD’s senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. “I know he will provide superb direction and guidance for our arts and humanities programs. This was a national recruitment, which signifies how important this position is to the university. We are fortunate to have such a distinguished member of the faculty and a proven academic leader ready and able to take on this important assignment.”

Prior to joining UCSD in 1987, Bernstein held faculty appointments at Cambridge University, Mills College and Princeton University, and he served briefly as a staff economist in the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. In addition to his faculty position in the UCSD Department of History, Bernstein is an associated faculty member in the Department of Economics at UCSD.

“With great anticipation and enthusiasm, I look forward to the opportunity to serve the campus in my new capacity," said Dean-designate Bernstein. “As one devoted to the mission of undergraduate education, and deeply appreciative of the importance of graduate training and mentorship in a research environment, I believe the advancement of the arts and humanities programs at UCSD is an essential and strategic investment in the future of this wonderful university. To assist my colleagues in the continuing pursuit of that goal is an honor and a distinct privilege."

Along with numerous articles and anthology chapters, Bernstein has published four volumes on American history, including “The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America, 1929-1939” (Cambridge University Press, 1987); “Understanding American Economic Decline,” co-edited with David Adler(Cambridge University Press, 1994); “The Cold War and Expert Knowledge: New Essays on the History of the National Security State,” co-edited with Allen Hunter (a special issue of “Radical History Review” 63 (Fall, 1995); and “A Perilous Progress: Economists and Public Purpose in Twentieth Century America” (Princeton University Press, 2001).

Among his many leadership roles at UCSD, Bernstein has served on the Chancellor’s Diversity Council, the Advisory Board of the UCSD Women’s Center, the Advisory Committee of the UCSD Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention and Policy, and the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. He has also been active in a variety of professional activities and served as program chair for the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, chair of the Committee on Research in Economic History of the Economic History Association, member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies, and member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Economic History.

Bernstein lives in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, with his partner, Patti Harp, and daughters Eleanor and Claire.

The Division of Arts and Humanities includes the academic departments of history, literature, philosophy, music, theater & dance and visual arts. Each department is highly regarded, with theater & dance ranked third, Latin American history ranked 7^th, and Asian history ranked 10^th nationally by US News & World Report. The departments of literature and philosophy were also ranked in the top 20 nationwide by the National Research Council.

Media Contact: Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567