Dr. Xuanning Fu has been named dean of Undergraduate Studies at Fresno State, effective May 1. Provost Lynnette Zelezny announced the selection.

Fu has been associate dean of College of Social Sciences at Fresno State since January 2011, and also served concurrently as interim director of Institutional Effectiveness in 2013-14. He joined the Fresno State Department of Sociology faculty in 2003 and was promoted a full professor in 2007.

He has been actively involved in University service, including leadership roles and participation in  Student Success Task Force, Graduation Initiative Team, WASC re-accreditation executive committee,  Student Learning Outcome Assessment Team, President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, Integrated Marketing and Communications Council, President’s Task Force on Internationalization and University Strategic Plan Advisory Committee.

Fu earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in China, and taught at Ocean University of China as an assistant professor of English before he came to the United States in 1989 to further his education. He obtained his doctorate degree in sociology in 1994 from Brigham Young University. He taught at Brigham Young University-Hawaii from 1994 to 1999 while serving as director of Institutional Research of that campus. In 2000, he joined the founding team of California University, Merced, as a principal analyst, engaging in educational outreach to help prepare the Central Valley K-12 students for the new UC campus.

Fu’s research interest includes inter-racial marriage, meaning of work, education and social stratification, and student success in higher education. He has published four books and 30 peer-reviewed journal articles.

The dean of Undergraduate Studies works with faculty on academic planning and policy issues including curriculum development, program review, changes to the general education program and undergraduate research. The dean oversees the Scheduling Office and sits on committees dealing with student academic petitions and disqualifications.