12-05-2025
University of Texas names interim dean for College of Liberal Arts. Here's who will lead it
David Sosa will serve as interim dean of the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts beginning June 1 as the university continues a search for a permanent successor, interim Provost David Vanden Bout said in an email to the campus community Monday.
Sosa is a professor in the humanities at UT and the chair of the Philosophy Department. He will succeed Ann Huff Stevens, who former President Jay Hartzell blocked from pursuing a second term as dean last year because of differences in visions for the institution, Stevens said in an announcement to the school at the time.
The College of Liberal Arts is the largest of the university's 19 colleges and schools. It boasts nearly 800 faculty members, 10,000 students and more than 40 majors and 55 minors, including in fields that have come under scrutiny by conservative state lawmakers, such as women's gender and sexuality studies, LGBTQ studies and diverse studies.
Sosa has served as chair of the Philosophy Department since 2006, elevating the department to the top 10 in the nation, Vanden Bout said. He also oversaw the Plan II honors program, has published dozens of articles, edited several books, and is co-editor of the Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Language and editor-in-chief of the journal of Analytic Philosophy.
The university is continuing to search for a full-time replacement, Vanden Bout said. Sosa joins multiple UT leaders holding interim titles ― Vanden Bout, interim President Jim Davis and interim Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Dison ― after multiple high-profile administrative changes last year.
In his email, Vanden Bout thanked Stevens for her leadership and said Sosa's "strong record of leadership, along with a breadth of experience in teaching and mentoring" will lead him to success in the temporary role.
"Dr. Sosa's leadership experience and deep knowledge of our University will be invaluable as we continue to move forward with the search for a permanent Dean of the College of Liberal Arts," Vanden Bout said. "I look forward to working closely with him as Interim Dean during this transition."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT names College of Liberal Arts interim dean amid search for new head
