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Paul L. Houston was formerly the Dean of the College of Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology Professor Houston served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell from 1997-2001. During that period the department hired four new faculty and added several new lines in the field of chemical biology. In tandem, he initiated planning with department, college and university for a new building, now called the Physical Sciences Building, to be shared between three departments, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and Applied Physics. Fund raising activities included meeting with potential donors to the department, several of whom have since given generously. From 2002-2005 Professor Houston was a Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell, first under Dean Philip Lewis and subsequently under Dean Peter Lepage. In this position, he supervised 24 departments and programs covering such diverse subject areas as astronomy, biological sciences, sociology, economics, theatre, film and dance, English, history and Asian-American studies. Principal duties included hiring, promotion and tenure, retention, retirement, long-term planning, allocation of teaching associates and lecturers, and general oversight of academic programs. The 2004-2005 academic year was typical. During this period, he oversaw 7 tenure cases, 6 promotions to full professor, 3 appointments to endowed chairs, 10 retention cases (7 successful), 26 searches (13 successful), 10 retirement negotiations (9 successful), and 20 appointments to positions such as chair or director. Other responsibilities included serving as a member of the President's Academic Cabinet, maintaining a close coordination with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (three biology departments are jointly staffed), and serving on a variety of committees, including the Provost Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee, the Cornell Center for Materials Science Executive Committee, and the New Life Sciences Dean's Committee.