Charles L. Stinger, senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named interim dean of the college, effective March 1.

Stinger will replace Kerry S. Grant, who has been appointed vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School at the university.

In announcing his appointment, Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi noted that "Charles Stinger has long experience serving in the College of Arts and Sciences and has been integral in the recent re-organization in the dean's office, so the transition to his leadership will be seamless. He has the confidence of the faculty, staff and students in the college, and will do an excellent job leading the college during the next stage of its development."

A UB faculty member since 1973, Stinger served as chair of the Department of History from 1984-87 and associate dean of the former Faculty of Social Sciences from 1994-98. He was named senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences when the college was created by the merger in 1998 of the former faculties of Social Sciences, Arts and Letters, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

A historian specializing in the Renaissance and Reformation, Stinger's book, "The Renaissance in Rome," received the 1985 Howard R. Marraro Prize of the American Historical Association, awarded to the best work on Italian history of any epoch, Italian cultural history or Italian-American relations.

He also is the author of "Humanism and the Church Fathers: Ambrogio Traversari (1386-1439) and Christian Antiquity in the Italian Renaissance."

In addition, Stinger has authored numerous book chapters, book reviews and dictionary and encyclopedia entries, and has delivered many papers at scholarly conferences.

He has received Fulbright, Woodrow Wilson and Mellon Senior fellowships.

During his years at UB, Stinger has been active on many university-wide committees, including the President's Review Board, the Middle States Review Steering Committee, the University Honors Council and the Presidential Focus Group on the Humanities.

He received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Hobart College and master's and doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University.