Peter A. Dale has been named vice provost for undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis, effective immediately. As vice provost, Dale, 52, is responsible for campuswide leadership and coordination of undergraduate academic programs and serves as the principal liaison between the administration and the faculty on undergraduate program matters. Dale's responsibilities mirror and sharpen those he has held the past two years as acting vice provost for academic programs and dean of undergraduate studies. That position has been replaced with Dale's new post, "focusing exclusively on one of the campus's highest priorities -- undergraduate education of exceptional quality," said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Robert D. Grey. "Peter's broad range of experience prepares him well for his new position," Grey said. "The campus has goals for undergraduate education that will require the participation and support of all members of our academic community. Peter's administrative experience, his deep commitment to undergraduate instruction -- evidenced by his determination to continue to teach, despite his full-time administrative responsibilities -- and his strong leadership abilities will help us accomplish our goals." Dale was selected following a search initiated last spring that considered candidates from within the University of California. "Around the country there is renewed concern for the quality of undergraduate education, a concern that has been intensified by a serious reduction in financial support for higher education," said Dale. "I see it as my responsibility to speak for the central importance of undergraduates' intellectual development and to ensure that adequate resources are set aside to protect and encourage that development. We need to think of the bachelor's degree as an end in itself, the measure of our commitment as faculty and administrators to bringing out the full potential of the young men and women who choose to come to Davis." Among issues requiring Dale's attention are the campus's general education program, revision of the curriculum to simplify and expedite students' progress toward their degrees, better coordination of academic advising and "fuller engagement with the revolution in technology that is rapidly transforming the way students learn," Dale said. "I look forward to devoting myself to these and other initiatives that will build on Davis' already substantial achievements and help make the campus a national center of excellence in undergraduate education." Dale joined the UC Davis faculty in 1980, serving as chair of the English department from 1991 to 1993. He was an assistant professor at Harvard University from 1974 to 1980 and assistant dean from 1978 to 1980. He was a teaching assistant at the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia from 1972 to 1974. His specialty is 19th century British literature and history. Dale received a bachelor's degree in English from Dartmouth College, a master's in history of the English language from Columbia University, a master's in history and literature from the University of Keele in England, and a doctorate in English from the University of Cambridge. He is the author of two books and multiple articles and reviews.