The University of Lethbridge is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Craig Cooper as the new Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

"It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce Dr. Cooper as our new Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science today," says Dr. Andrew Hakin, provost and vice-president (academic). "We had a number of outstanding applicants for this role but Craig quickly emerged as the ideal candidate to succeed Dr. Chris Nicol. The appointment committee was very enthusiastic in its support of Craig and I'm confident that his innovative ideas and enthusiasm for the Faculty will play a key role in helping shape the direction of our University over the next five years."

Cooper comes to the U of L from Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont. where he was a professor of classical studies and served as the Dean of Arts and Sciences since 2008. He spent the majority of his academic teaching career at the University of Winnipeg, beginning as a sessional instructor in 1993 and eventually serving as the Associate Dean of Arts.

Cooper earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Alberta before completing his master's and PhD designations at the University of British Columbia.

A member of the American Philological Association, the Association of Ancient Historians and the Classical Association of Canada, Cooper received the 2007 Robin H. Farquhar Award for Excellence in Contributing to Self Governance. His current areas of scholarly interest include Athenian law, Athenian orators and Greek rhetoric, Greek historiography and ancient biography. He has also published three books, including his most recent, Epigraphy and the Greek Historian, in 2008.

"I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Nicol for his leadership of the Faculty of Arts & Science since 2001. Many fine things have been accomplished," adds Hakin.

Cooper's appointment is effective July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018.