Linda Maxson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa for the past 14 years, announced that she will step down at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. Dean Maxson will remain on the faculty at the university. The college is the largest academic unit on campus compromising more than 50 departments and programs. During her tenure, Maxson has participated in the hiring of about half of the college’s current faculty.
Dr. Maxson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Diego State University. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics through a joint doctoral program from the University of California at Berkeley and San Diego State University. Before becoming dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, she held faculty and administrative posts at the University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
For 20 years, Dean Maxson has received support for her research in evolutionary biology from the National Science Foundation. She has conducted field work on four continents and published more than 100 papers in academic journals.