The Dean of the College of Letters and Science for the past 18 years and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point�s official historian will retire this summer after 38 years as a faculty member and administrator.

Dean Justus F. Paul, author of an historical account marking UWSP�s centennial and former chair and professor of history, will leave his post at the end of July. A search and screen committee has been formed to seek his successor.

A native of Missouri who grew up in Iowa and North Dakota, Paul is a specialist in recent U.S. history with an emphasis on national, state and local politics. For nearly two decades, he has headed UWSP�s largest college with 13 departments and 215 faculty members. Prior to that, he spent 17 years as chair of the history department. He holds degrees from the University of Nebraska, UW-Madison and Doane College, Crete, Neb., which recognized him in 1996 with the Paul Kersenbrock Humanitarian Award for service to others.

Paul, who served four terms as chair of the Faculty Senate, recalls the changes that have occurred at UWSP since he arrived in 1966. He says he supported the 1970s merger of state campuses into the UW System and thinks it has been good for the state as well as for the institutions. As chair of faculty governance during the salary struggles of the 1980s, he is proud of his involvement with then Chancellor Philip Marshall in helping faculty receive substantial pay raises in the "catch-up" disparities of that decade.

Some not so pleasant memories include having to initiate campus layoffs in the 1970s and the strategic planning exercise of the early 90s that led to institutional downsizing that adversely affected the college.

A major change in his duties as dean reflects higher education�s recent emphasis on fund raising. All of the UWSP colleges now employ fund-raising staff and Paul commends the L&S development coordinator, Holly Voll, for her accomplishments and for garnering nearly unanimous faculty support of her position and its efforts.

Paul has published five books, 15 articles in professional journals, and numerous book reviews and abstracts. In 1994 he wrote "The World is Ours: A History of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1894-1994," published by Worzalla Publishing Co. of Stevens Point.

In 1999 he co-compiled "Wisconsin History: An Annotated Bibliography" with his wife, Barbara J. Paul, a retired associate professor of the Learning Resource Center at UWSP. Previously, the Pauls co-edited "The Badger State: A Documentary History of Wisconsin" (1979). In addition, Justus has authored a book and numerous articles about former Nebraska Senator Hugh Butler. He also is a 32-year abstracter for "America: History and Life."

In 1985 Paul received UWSP�s University Service Award and in 1995, he was given the Win Rothman History Award from the Portage County Historical Society in honor of his research and writing of the university�s history. He plans to continue his historical research during retirement.

The Pauls also look forward to traveling, both domestically and abroad, with Stevens Point as home base. Time for family, three grown children and three grandsons, also is on their agenda. Justus, who has recovered from a recent aortic valve replacement, plans to continue playing softball and tennis and singing with the Monteverdi Master Chorale as well as with their church choir in Wisconsin Rapids.

While he will miss the daily routines of the deanship, he finds recent budget changes have made the job more difficult and, at times, less enjoyable. He also noted that life with fewer regularly scheduled meetings also looks inviting. Yet he says he would do it over again if given the chance.