Professor Stuart Usdan has been named the new Dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences at The University of Alabama, according to an email sent by Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Whitaker on June 5.

Usdan succeeds Milla Boschung, who retired after serving as Dean for the past 15 years.

“[Usdan] is a strong academic leader with a respected research record and a firm commitment to teaching and service,” Whitaker said in the email. “I’m confident he can build on the college’s many strengths while charting a bold and innovative course for the future.”

Usdan has served as the Senior Associate Dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences since 2014 and has been a faculty member at the University since 2005, when he first joined as an associate professor. During his career at Alabama, Usdan has been involved in the oversight of graduate academic programs and curricula, seeing the College of Human Environmental Sciences nearly double its graduate school enrollment in a decade.

Before coming to The University of Alabama, Usdan held the position of assistant professor at the University of South Carolina and Mississippi State University. Usdan earned his Bachelor’s degree in health sciences from the University of Arizona, his Master’s degree in health promotion and behavior from the University of Georgia and holds a Doctorate in health education and promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Usdan will effectively begin his tenure as Dean on July 1.