Boston College Names Historian Patrick Maney Dean of College of Arts and Sciences

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (6-6-07) -- Boston College has named Patrick J. Maney, professor and chair of the history department at the University of South Carolina, to be the next dean of its College of Arts and Sciences, the oldest and largest undergraduate school within the University. He will assume the post on July 15, 2007.

As department chair at the University of South Carolina, Maney nurtured young faculty, recruited and retained top scholars, and strengthened the departmentís reputation in Southern and African-American history.

Patrick J. Maney.

"I am pleased that Dr. Patrick Maney will be the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences," said Boston College President William P. Leahy, S.J. "He is an accomplished teacher, scholar and administrator, knows liberal arts education, and is committed to fostering the Jesuit, Catholic dimensions of Boston College."

"I look forward to working with Dean Maney," said Boston College Provost and Dean of Faculties Cutberto Garza. "His record of achievement in building a nationally recognized department of history, attracting the best in the field to his department, and proven commitment to diversity and undergraduate education, no doubt will serve the College of Arts and Sciences very well. His enthusiasm for our Jesuit heritage is another strength he brings to us," Garza added. "I have no doubt that our faculty will share the search committee's enthusiasm for him."

BC Vice President and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, S.J., who led the national search for the position, noted the breadth of Maney's tenure in higher education. "Patrick Maney brings to the important position of Dean of A&S years of academic experience -- first as a professor at Tulane University and more recently as a successful academic leader at the University of South Carolina."

''I'm honored, and humbled, by my appointment as dean," said Maney. "Boston College ranks among the top national universities in America and it is committed to an educational experience that seeks to integrate classroom learning, service activities and spiritual-moral growth.

"Higher education is in a state of profound change today, rethinking how best to educate students for the 21st century," Maney added. "For me a big allure about coming here is the leadership role BC will surely play in this process. I'm looking forward to that challenge."

A Wisconsin native, Maney earned a B.S. degree from Wisconsin State University-Stevens Point in 1969 and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1976. During the late 1970s, he worked in the Wisconsin State Senate managing the office of the Senate majority leader. He joined the history department of Tulane University in 1980 as an assistant professor, rising to the rank of full professor and chair. In 1998, he was named professor and chair of the history department at the University of South Carolina.

Maney's full biography and curriculum vitae can be found online.

Maney has served as a commentator on historical subjects for National Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television, and is the author of numerous publications, including the books "Young Bob" La Follette: A Biography of Robert M. La Follette, Jr. 1895-1953, and The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR, which historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., described as a "model compact biography." He also has written a number of articles and book chapters and is currently researching a book on the Clinton presidency.

He has received a number of awards for his teaching and leadership, among them the Affirmative Action Administrative Award presented by the Black Faculty and Staff Association at the University of South Carolina, and Tulane University's top award for undergraduate instruction, the Sheldon Hackney Prize.