William G. McMinn, who stepped down in June after serving 12 years as dean of Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning, has been named director of the School of Design at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami.
Associate Dean Stanley Bowman has been named acting dean of the college. A member of the Cornell faculty since 1973, Bowman will serve as dean until a new dean is appointed.
"Dean McMinn's assiduous leadership has strengthened the College of Architecture, Art and Planning and provided it with a solid foundation to meet the challenges of the future," said Provost Don M. Randel. "We wish him well in his new endeavor."
McMinn was instrumental in overseeing the College of Architecture, Art and Planning's successful $22 million fund-raising campaign, which recently was completed. He also is credited with upgrading educational technology in the college and enhancing the college's academic environment by investing in the development of junior faculty and instituting a study-abroad program in Rome.
McMinn's service to Cornell included membership on the administrative boards of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum and the Cornell University Council, the Buildings and Properties Committee of the Board of Trustees, and the board of governors of the Cornell Center for the Environment.
He will head FIU's School of Design, which will offer undergraduate programs in architectural studies and interior design and graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture and environmental and urban systems.