Wayne State University has appointed George Galster, a nationally renowned scholar and expert on urban affairs, as interim dean of its College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA). The appointment, effective April 19, was announced by Nancy S. Barrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Galster has been associated with Wayne State University and CULMA since his appointment as a Clarence Hilberry Professor of Urban Affairs in 1996. Clarence Hilberry was a past president of the university (1952-65) and a professor of English. The endowed chair was established in his name by friends after his death several years ago.

"The College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs is fortunate to have an interim dean who is respected nationally as a scholar of urban affairs, and someone who has been a part of the college's faculty for nearly a decade," Barrett said. "George Galster's leadership skills and scholarly reputation will play a major role in CULMA's commitment to advancing the university's urban mission."

Prior to his affiliation with Wayne State, Galster held academic positions at Harvard University, University of California at Berkeley, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the College of Wooster. He also served as director of housing research at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

Galster has been a consultant to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, numerous municipalities, community organizations, civil rights groups and organizations such as the National Association of Realtors, American Bankers Association, Fannie Mae and Chemical Corporation.

Galster earned a doctorate in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and holds a bachelor's degree in organizational science from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Wittenberg University.

He is the author of three books and more than 100 scholarly articles on topics including metropolitan housing markets, racial discrimination and segregation, neighborhood dynamics, residential reinvestment, community lending and insurance patterns and urban poverty.

The College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs at Wayne State consists of several departments, centers and programs that are committed to addressing the social, economic and political issues facing urban areas generally - and Detroit particularly. CULMA serves as the university's center for research, teaching, community engagement and policy analysis in urban affairs and workplace issues.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

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