Bruce Blonigen, Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences and Phillip H. Knight Chair of social sciences, will have his role extended through the 2020-21 academic year at the University of Oregon.

Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips made the announcement last week in a message to faculty members and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences. He later posted a message about the move to the provost’s website.

Blonigen originally was tapped to serve as interim dean of the college last year and was to work through the end of the current academic year. But Phillips made the decision to extend the timeline and removed the interim title.

“Bruce has done a great job since he was named interim dean, most visibly taking over the helm of CAS as our campus prepared for the opening this fall of Tykeson Hall,” Phillips said in his message. “Bruce ably led CAS through the budget process and a successful round of the Institutional Hiring Plan, jumped energetically into the ongoing development work of the college, and, most of all, offered CAS stability and continuity in a time of change.”

Blonigen has been the college’s dean of faculty and operations, interim dean of the Lundquist College of Business, and associate dean of social sciences. He also served as head of the Department of Economics.