Historian Professor Rae Frances is new Dean of CASS

 Historian Professor Rae Frances is the new Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

Historian Professor Rae Frances is the new Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

ANU has appointed historian Professor Rae Frances as the new Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

Professor Frances, an esteemed historian and member of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, was most recently Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Monash University.

She will replace Professor Paul Pickering, who is returning to his role as Director of the ANU Research School of Humanities and the Arts.

“We’re delighted Professor Frances will be taking charge of one of our largest colleges, and I welcome her to the ANU community,” said ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt.

“Professor Frances is a national leader in her field and her impressive career has spanned academia in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland.

“She directed the Arts faculty at Monash, was head of History at the University of New South Wales, and served as President of the UNSW Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union.

“Professor Frances also has an impressive record as a teacher and historian in areas such as the history of work, women’s history, and Aboriginal-European contact history.”

Professor Schmidt also paid tribute to Professor Pickering, who has led the College of Arts and Social Sciences since July 2015.

“Paul has led the College through an exciting period including a joint governance project with the College of Asia and the Pacific,” Professor Schmidt said.

“He’s also been a great help and support during my own transition to Vice-Chancellor. I thank Paul for his leadership and I wish him well as he returns to head the Research School of Humanities and the Arts.”

Professor Frances says she is honoured to have been appointed as the Dean of CASS, “which boasts so many talented staff and provides students with such a rich education.

“I am really looking forward to working with staff and students not just in CASS but across the university to make the most of the talent we have at the ANU.”