The associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland has been hired as the first permanent dean of UNLV's Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, President Carol C. Harter announced Wednesday (June 18).

Martha S. Watson, who is also serving as acting chair of the department of speech and communication at the University of Maryland, will assume her new duties on Aug. 1.

"We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Watson to UNLV," Harter said. "She is our newest dean, and she will be leading our newest college. Her record as an educator and a leader will be a tremendous asset as UNLV works to realize the potential of the diverse College of Urban Affairs."

Watson, who has served as associate dean since 1992 and acting chair of speech and communication since 1995, said she is "absolutely delighted to be chosen dean of the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs. I'm looking forward to coming to UNLV and to working with President Harter and Provost Ferraro to further develop the college."

Provost Douglas Ferraro said, "In selecting a dean for the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, it was critical that we find someone who could make the most of the possibilities for interdisciplinary programs and collaborative ventures that exist in this new college. I am convinced that in Dr. Watson we have found the right person."

Watson also served as graduate director of Auburn University in Alabama (1987-89) and director of Basic Course at Auburn (1977-81). She has taught English, secondary education, and speech at the universities of Maryland and Kansas, Auburn, and Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas).

The Greenspun College of Urban Affairs is composed of the departments of counseling, criminal justice, environmental studies, and leisure studies; the Greenspun School of Communication; and the School of Social Work.