Release

Jeffrey D. Straussman Named Dean of Rockefeller College

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 21, 2006) -- Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Susan Herbst today announced the appointment of Professor Jeffrey D. Straussman as the next dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. Straussman, currently associate dean of the Maxwell School and chair of public administration at Syracuse University, will replace Dean Frank Thompson, who returned to the Rockefeller College faculty to pursue scholarship earlier this year. Straussman was appointed after a national search chaired by School of Criminal Justice Dean Julie Horney. He will assume the post on July 1, 2006.

Straussman, a life-long resident of New York, completed his master's degree at Hunter College and earned a doctorate in political science from the City University of New York in 1975. He taught at Michigan State University before joining the Syracuse faculty in 1979. At Syracuse, he served as chair of the Department of Public Administration as well as associate dean, among other roles. He was recognized for superior teaching in 1999, when he became the Maxwell Professor of Teaching Excellence.

University at Albany President Kermit L. Hall called Straussman a "top scholar, master teacher, and institutional leader."

"Dr. Straussman comes to the University with a unambiguous mission, and vision, to take Rockefeller College along its impressive continuum to even higher prominence in international education," Hall said. "Rockefeller has a lengthy history of recognition for research and public service, and he'll build on this solid foundation by expanding the faculty, creating enhanced academic programs, and serving as a beacon of excellence in research on politics. I am grateful to Dean Julie Horney for leading this vital search, and to the Rockefeller Dean Search Committee and Rockefeller Interim Dean Helen Desfosses for their commitment to the University and to the process."

"I am already impressed by the quality and dedication of the faculty and staff of Rockefeller College," Straussman said, "and, together, we will further enhance the reputation of the College as one of the nation's top institutions dedicated to both the study and practice of political science, public affairs and public policy."

"I am very excited that Jeff Straussman will be joining UAlbany as dean of Rockefeller College," said Dean Julie Horney, who chaired the search committee. "Jeff's experience in various leadership positions at Syracuse University, his involvement with national public affairs organizations, and his genuine concern for faculty and students were some of the factors that led the search committee to enthusiastically recommend him to take on this leadership role in one of the university's outstanding programs. I look forward to working with him and wish him a warm welcome to Albany."

Straussman's extensive record of research includes five books and numerous articles on public management, government budgeting and finance, and political economy, focusing on the United States and on governance in other nations. In 1992 he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, where he taught public management and policy analysis and assisted Hungarian faculty in developing a public affairs department. Straussman has also taught and consulted in Macedonia, Israel, Venezuela, the Czech Republic, the Peoples' Republic of China, Bulgaria, Malaysia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He has published on the political economy of transition, including articles translated into Hungarian, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Photo of Jeffrey D. Straussman available for download:
https://www.albany.edu/news/newsphotos/jeffrey_straussman.jpg