Southeast Missouri State University has hired a New York university professor as the new dean of the school's College of Health and Human Services.

The new dean is Paul Keys, professor and chairman of the Management Professional Curriculum Area at the Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Social Work.

Southeast officials announced the hiring Friday afternoon. The university's Board of Regents is expected to approve the appointment at its meeting Wednesday. Keys is scheduled to begin his new job Aug. 1 at a salary of $80,000.

Keys will replace Robert Boissoneau, who resigned in May.

"This is exactly what I've been looking for," said Keys, a St. Louis native. "I wanted to come back to Missouri. This position seems to fit in well with my interest in diverse human services."

He said he was attracted to Southeast because of its diversity and "the broad base that the College covers."

Jane Stephens, Southeast's assistant provost who headed the dean's search committee, said: "Dr. Keys has impressive credentials to serve as dean of the College of Health and Human Services. He appears to have an especially strong background in the areas of external funding and building university/community relations."

Keys is currently a faculty member in the Center for Social Administration at Hunter College and adjunct associate professor of public administration in the public administration department at Pace University in New York. He also is on the faculty of the Edwin G. Michaelian Institute of Public Policy and Management at Pace University and is executive director of the Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence Inc. at Manhattanville College.

Charles Kupchella, Southeast's provost, said: "The College of Health and Human Services is a young college and has gotten off to a good start. It is at a critical juncture now. We now are looking forward to Dr. Keys bringing some visionary leadership here."

Kupchella said Keys has "considerable professional experience" in organizing programs in social work.

In addition to Keys' work in higher education, he has implemented social work policy in a number of key positions. He has served as deputy administrator of Wisconsin's Division of Community Services, a $500-million, umbrella agency for mental health, developmental disabilities, family and children's services, alcoholism and other drug abuse, aging, day care, and licensing.

He also has served as director of the Broward County Department of Human Services in Florida. The department is a county umbrella agency in the second largest county in Florida.