History professor Jon Gjerde has been appointed permanent  dean of the College’s division of Social Sciences. Gjerde has served as interim dean of the division for the past year.

"As acting dean for the past year, Jon has proven to be a thoughtful, wise, and creative voice for the social sciences and the College of Letters and Science," said L&S Executive Dean Mark Richards.  "I look forward very much to working with him in the coming years."

Gjerde is a leading scholar of American history, with a special interest in the Midwest during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recently he was named Alexander F. & May T. Morrison Professor of American History and American Citizenship. He is the author of five books, including "The Minds of the West: The Ethnocultural Evolution of the Rural Middle West, 1830-1917,” which has won numerous awards. During 2000-2003, Gjerde served as chair of the Department of History.

"I am honored to have been selected to lead such a large and distinguished group of scholars and students, Gjerde said. "I hope to move the division forward and to sustain its excellence in all areas of campus life."

L&S's Social Sciences Division is the largest within the university, with 20 percent of the faculty and 25 percent of student enrollment.

"The division of social sciences comprises the most distinguished group of social science departments in the country," said UC Berkeley's Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer, who preceded Gjerde as dean of the division. "Jon Gjerde is exceptionally qualified to maintain and enhance that preeminence. He is a distinguished scholar, seasoned administrator, and exemplary colleague. The division is in excellent hands."

Gjerde joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1985. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in history from the University of Minnesota and his B.A. in history and philosophy and religion from the University of Northern Iowa.