On July 1, UC Riverside's loss will be UCLA's gain.

That's the day Patricia O'Brien, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at UCR, will assume the position of executive dean of the UCLA College. She will take over for Judith L. Smith, who has been serving as acting executive dean since July 2003.

"Pat O'Brien is a respected scholar, dedicated teacher and skilled administrator," Chancellor Albert Carnesale said. "Her performance in high-level academic and administrative posts in the UC system demonstrates that she is extremely well-qualified to lead the UCLA College into the future."

"UCLA is such a thrilling opportunity for me, at a very challenging time," O'Brien said. "This university is a world leader in public higher education. It's an opportunity that was just too wonderful for me to turn down."

UCLA is the third UC at which O'Brien will serve as an administrator. At UC Riverside, where she currently oversees 20 departments in the humanities, arts and social sciences, O'Brien launched collaborative initiatives in several areas, including digital media, Southeast Asian studies, Native-American studies and policy studies. One of her proudest achievements during her five years as dean, O'Brien said, was the hiring of approximately 100 new faculty in the college.

Before that, O'Brien spent 25 years at UC Irvine, where she served as chair of the history department before becoming associate vice chancellor, then acting vice chancellor, for research. In 1994, she assumed the directorship of the UC Humanities Research Institute, a multi-campus research unit whose centerpiece program involves bringing together scholars from all over the world to live at UC Irvine and work on commonly defined research agendas.

"There are moments when such collaborative efforts really push things forward, and the value added is greater than the sum of the parts," O'Brien said. "This program, for me, was very intellectually stimulating."

A native of Cambridge, Mass., O'Brien earned her master's and doctoral degrees in history at Columbia University. She is an expert on modern French history and 19th- and 20th-century social and cultural history, and is currently on leave while she finishes two projects: a revision of a textbook she co-wrote, "Civilization in the West," and a monograph on the French state in the 19th century.

When she arrives at Murphy Hall on July 1, O'Brien plans to listen and learn from her fellow administrators and the faculty. "I've become very aware that protecting quality is a primary concern in this challenging budget time, so that will be the benchmark for anything we do," she said.

O'Brien also looks forward to meeting with students. "The few I met during the interview process were just so impressive to me -- their commitment and their understanding of what makes UCLA a great place," she said. "So I know that's going to be fun to do, and it's going to keep me in touch with what UCLA is all about."