Wayne State University has appointed Jack Kay interim dean of the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA). The appointment, effective Sept. 20, was announced by Nancy S. Barrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Kay has been serving as acting dean of the college and will continue his duties as associate provost for student services at Wayne State.

"Jack Kay brings to the college 25 years of distinguished service in higher education as an administrator and scholar," Barrett said. "CULMA is fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Kay's caliber as the college moves forward advancing the university's urban mission."

Kay has served Wayne State University since 1990 in various leadership capacities including professor of communication, chair of the department of communication, interim dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts and his current position as associate provost. His early ties as a student to Wayne State included earning a bachelor's degree in speech communication and political science and a Ph.D degree in communication, rhetoric and public address. He holds a master's degree in speech communication from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Kay held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as chair of the department of speech communication and director of forensics.

Author and editor of numerous books and articles on communication, rhetoric, argumentation and forensics, Kay's research specialties include rhetoric and race, extremist groups and political debates. He has presented testimony on extremist groups to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and the Nebraska Legislature's Judiciary Committee and has worked with law enforcement in his studies of various white supremacist and paramilitary groups. He also has been consultant to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the sponsor of the 1996 presidential debates.

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 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

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