Beginning July 1, Elizabeth Wentz - a professor and director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning - will assume a new role as dean of social sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

As a senior sustainability scientist with the ASU Wrigley Institute, Wentz is interested in restructuring cities to be more effective in the face of global climate change, as well as in the factors influencing single-family water demand. Her modeling efforts are reflected in the Decision Center for a Desert City-developed decision tool WaterSim, designed for use by local water managers. She also examines the tradeoffs between residential water and energy use.

"As a New American University, ASU is focused on being a global leader in elevating the stature of the social sciences as an integrative science,” said President Michael M. Crow. “Our teaching and discovery contributions range from global climate change to digital humanities, the geologic anthropocene and engineering solutions. All of which require comprehending and communicating human behavior, social dynamics, cultural differences and political interactions across broad geographic and time scales. Dr. Wentz has the background and experience to move us toward our goal.”