PHILADELPHIA -- Michael X. Delli Carpini, a respected scholar in American politics, public-opinion research and mass media, has been named the Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn President Judith Rodin announced today.

Delli Carpini currently serves as director of the public policy program of the Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia.

I am delighted to announce Michaels appointment as dean of Penns Annenberg School. His impressive record of accomplishments in both the academic and public-policy arenas will serve the School well as we build it into an ever stronger institution, Rodin said. Having him on our team at Penn is all the more satisfying because it is a return home for Michael, who is a Penn alum.

In Delli Carpinis leadership role at the Pew Charitable Trusts, he worked to advance and to sustain improvements in American democratic life by implementing and overseeing initiatives that enhance participation in civic life, renewing the quality and meaning of campaigns and elections and improving government.

His far-reaching impact on the American democratic process is complemented by his academic successes.

Before arriving at Pew in 1999, Delli Carpini joined the political science faculty at Barnard College in 1987 and was named department chair in 1995. He also spent six years, beginning in 1996, as a member of the Graduate Faculty of Columbia University. Prior to that, he served as assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University.

An acute observer and analyst, Delli Carpini has authored or edited five books, most recently What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters. In addition, he has published dozens of journal articles, essays and panel papers on a wide variety of political and public-policy topics.

Delli Carpini earned both a bachelors degree in English literature and a masters degree in political science from Penn. He earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Minnesota.

Penn is fortunate to have someone of Michaels academic caliber join us to lead the Annenberg School, said Robert L. Barchi, the provost. He will bring to this job a depth of knowledge and expertise that will further enhance the Schools already stellar international reputation.

In his new position, Delli Carpini succeeds Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who has guided the School for 14 years. During her tenure as dean, the School received $350 million in endowments from Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation.

Established in 1958, the Annenberg School offers students a firm grounding in various approaches to the study of communication and its methods drawn from both the humanities and the social sciences. The School houses world-class communication theorists and researchers, including social scientists, historians and critics.

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