Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2004

Contact: Angie Joe
713/743-8153 (office)
713/617-7138 (pager)
ajoe@uh.edu

HOUSTON, March 15, 2004 – John J. Antel has been named dean of the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), UH officials announced today. Antel has served as interim dean since July 2002.

CLASS is home to more than 30 departments and institutes, including: the nationally-recognized Creative Writing Program; the School of Theatre, home to Pulitzer Prize-winning faculty members; as well as the Center for Public Policy, Arte Publico Press, Center for Mexican American Studies, and Psychological Research and Services Center. The college’s student enrollment exceeds 8,000.

“During the past 20 months, John Antel has provided strong leadership to the largest and most diverse college at UH, helping to guide programs ranging from the arts to the social sciences,” said Jerald Strickland, interim senior vice president and provost for the University of Houston. “Under his steady hand, John has worked hard to secure internal and external support for the college’s faculty, students and staff. He has clearly earned this professional recognition, and we are excited to have him take on the challenge of continuing to move CLASS forward.”

Serving as interim CLASS dean, Antel helped secure a $20 million gift from the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Foundation to establish the UH Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. The center will create a collaborative alliance of five of UH’s premier academic and arts units within the college – the Department of Art; Blaffer Gallery: the Art Museum of the University of Houston; the Creative Writing Program; the Moores School of Music; and the School of Theatre.

“The broad mix of academic and research programs, and the widely diverse student body that populates
our college makes this position one of the most challenging and dynamic on our campus,” Antel said. “The faculty, students and staff all contribute to the success of this operation, and I will continue to rely on their insights and support to keep us as a major contributor to the future success of the university.”

Prior to joining the economics department in 1981, Antel worked as a labor and population studies consultant to the Rand Corporation. He served as economics department chair from 1997 to 2002, and he was on the UH Academic Senate Executive Committee from 1999 to 2002. He continues to teach and do research in labor economics, health economics, and applied statistics. Antel received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1983.

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