Dr. Lejuez Named to Deanship at KU

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences community warmly congratulates Associate Dean for Research Carl Lejuez, who was recently named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Dr. Lejuez will begin his deanship in February.

In his current role, Dr. Lejuez has diligently guided faculty and students in the pursuit and acquisition of external funding. He has personally worked with faculty, department chairs, research center directors and students to seek out, apply for and obtain prestigious awards and fellowships. In so doing, he has elevated the College’s national and international visibility, reputation and scope.

“Carl Lejuez is a talented scientist and administrator. He has been a tremendous leader both in the Department of Psychology and across the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. We wish him the best in his new position at Kansas, but we will miss him very much," said Dean Gregory Ball.

Since 2001, Dr. Lejuez has served as a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Program, as well as the Founding Director of the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research. Through CAPER, he has pioneered treatment and training methods that have helped countless individuals and organizations to diagnose, treat and overcome substance abuse and addiction.

In addition to his many accolades and honors both within the UMD community and beyond, Dr. Lejuez is a past recipient of the BSOS Undergraduate and Graduate Mentorship Award. He also is the Founding Editor of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, published by the American Psychological Association.

“I am truly excited to have a scholar of Carl’s caliber and capability joining the college,” said Jeffrey S. Vitter, provost and executive vice chancellor of KU. “His skill and insight will identify new opportunities and help lead the college to even greater prominence.” 

As Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at KU, Dr. Lejuez will oversee a large and broad college that spans the arts, humanities, languages, social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. A core aspect of his mission will involve enhancing the undergraduate learning experience through the leveraging of technology and the expansion of research and internship opportunities. This will occur in step with efforts to build the research reputation and funded research portfolio of the college through a focus on disciplinary excellence, as well support for novel interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial research opportunities.

“While I am excited about the opportunity ahead of me at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, I also feel a deep sense of loss in moving on from the only tenure-track job I’ve held in my career,” Dr. Lejuez said. “From the day I arrived at Maryland, the University—and particularly the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences—has provided a rich intellectual environment with great colleagues and ample resources for me to grow as a scholar, and to help me give back as a teacher and mentor to the outstanding students I’ve had to the pleasure of working with during the past 15 years. I appreciate the outstanding support I’ve received from Deans Townshend and Ball in my time as Associate Dean. My readiness for this new challenge has benefitted greatly from what I’ve learned by working with these outstanding leaders.”

Published on Wed, Sep 30, 2015 - 9:27AM