George Watson will step down from his position as dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Arts and Sciences to return to the faculty, effective Sept. 1.

An interim dean will be announced shortly, and a national search will be conducted to fill the role long-term.

In an email to University faculty and staff, President Dennis Assanis and Provost Robin W. Morgan thanked Watson “for his many years of strong, dedicated leadership and commitment to the students, faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Sciences and the entire University.”

Watson joined the University of Delaware faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 1987 after earning his doctorate in physics from UD in 1984. A former Unidel Professor of Physics and Astronomy, he took his first leadership role in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001 as associate dean and served as interim dean in 2009-10 before being named to the permanent role in 2010.

“George has been an integral part of the UD community for more than three decades,” Assanis and Morgan said in their message to faculty and staff. “He is a recognized national and international leader in the development of problem-based learning, as well as a strong advocate for improved science education at the high school and college level.”

During his time as dean, Watson, founding director of the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education, has focused on advancing educational initiatives and supporting student success, growing interdisciplinary and global programs, and investing in intellectual and physical capital.

Some highlights of his leadership include: establishing a $1 million annual commitment to develop robust new initiatives to improve diversity and build an environment of inclusive excellence; founding the CAS Dean’s Advisory and Student Councils to engage alumni, friends, academic leaders and students in shaping the strategic direction of the college; supporting the creation of innovative, interdisciplinary educational facilities and initiatives, most recently the Biden Institute, the Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging and the Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory; and expanding and developing strong professional teams in academic services, communications, IT and finance to support the academic and administrative growth of the college. He also worked with many long-serving deputy and associate deans to create the Delaware Teachers Institute, designed to strengthen teaching in public schools through a professional development approach based on the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

In addition, new departments, including Africana Studies and Women and Gender Studies, were created under Watson’s leadership, and the Associate in Arts program and the English Language Institute were moved into the College of Arts and Science. Watson also brought into CAS the School of Public Policy and Administration, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, the Disaster Research Center and the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance.

He supported the advancement of the faculty through service, chairing the Provost’s Commission on Continuing Non-Tenure Track Faculty, which worked with faculty and administrators to strengthen the continuing track at UD. And he oversaw the creation of new graduate programs, including the online MPA, the new master’s of public policy (MPP), professional master’s in biology and a Ph.D. program in communication.

Watson is also board president of the Delaware Arts Alliance, serving the greater arts community as well as connecting arts and culture initiatives at UD.

"I have valued working with the entire College of Arts and Sciences community -- senior leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, students and friends -- over the last nine years, and collaborating with other leaders across UD's campus,” Watson said. “We have accomplished much together, and I look forward to seeing the college continue its success in working toward our mission serving as the intellectual and cultural heart of the University."