Steven M. Sheffrin, professor of economics and acting director of the Institute of Governmental Affairs at the University of California, Davis, will become dean of the Division of Social Sciences July 1. Sheffrin, 47, will oversee one of three divisions within the campus's College of Letters and Science. The Division of Social Sciences, with nearly 200 full-time faculty, currently enrolls approximately 3,750 undergraduates in 12 majors and 340 graduate students. "Steve's very broad intellectual interests and his deep commitment to the campus make him the ideal candidate to guide the division," said Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. "His proven leadership experience and skills, as well as his scholarly attainment, will serve the division and the college very well indeed during this period of campus growth." Sheffrin succeeds Barbara D. Metcalf, historian and widely published expert in the field of Asian studies, who will return to full-time teaching and research. "The division faces both exciting prospects as well as important challenges," Sheffrin said. "I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students to firmly establish the social sciences at the intellectual heart of the Davis campus." A leading expert in the fields of macroeconomics and public finance, Sheffrin is the author or co-author of eight books and monographs and numerous articles in these and related fields. He currently serves as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the National Tax Association. Sheffrin joined the UC Davis faculty in 1976 and served as chair of the Department of Economics from 1983 to 1990. In 1990, he founded the Center for State and Local Taxation on the campus. He has also taught at Princeton University, the London School of Economics and Oxford University, and has served as a financial economist with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. His honors include the Brookings Economic Policy Fellowship, a Danforth Fellowship, the Hallowell Prize in Social Science and the Thomas Mayer Distinguished Teaching Award. Sheffrin received a bachelor's degree from the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University in 1972 and a doctoral degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. EDITOR'S NOTE: A photo of Steven Sheffrin may be obtained electronically by contacting Amy Rafferty, (530) 752-9836, aerafferty@ucdavis.edu.