Cleveland State Announces the Appointment of Mark Rosentraub as Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Dean.

CLEVELAND, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ --

Cleveland State University's Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs James A. McLoughlin announced today the appointment of Mark S. Rosentraub, Ph.D. as the second dean of Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. The University's Board of Trustees approved Dean Rosentraub's appointment effective January 1, 2001.

"Dean Rosentraub brings to the College many years of effective experience as a college administrator at Indiana University at Indianapolis overseeing planning and implementation, academic programs, personnel and budgetary matters," said Interim Provost McLoughlin. "He has been very successful in attracting extramural funding and establishing meaningful networks on behalf of the University. His academic credentials are excellent, and he enjoys a national reputation as an analyst of the economic impact of professional sports in the urban environment."

Dean Rosentraub is an associate dean and professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University at Indianapolis. He also founded Indiana University's Center for Urban Policy and the Environment and served as its director from 1992 to 1998.

Dean Rosentraub received his doctorate from the University of Southern California and his undergraduate and master's degrees from Queens College of the City University of New York. Rosentraub's research interests focus on the economics and politics of professional sports teams and their relationships with cities; the financing of sports facilities; the financing, organization, and delivery of urban services; and economic development issues. His work has included studies of urban change and growth, public-private partnerships, economic development strategies, and the relationship between sports, economic development, and the public sector.

Rosentraub's "Major League Losers: The Real Costs of Sports and Who's Paying For It" was published by Basic Books in January, 1997 and has been reviewed in more than 100 newspapers and magazines including the "Chicago Tribune," the "Washington Post," "Business Week" and the "Los Angeles Times." A second and revised edition of "Major League Losers" was released in July 1999 and is now used as a text in colleges across the nation. His sports research has been reviewed and discussed in "The Wall Street Journal," "The New York Times," "U.S. News" and "World Report," "Newsweek," "Business Week," "Money Magazine," more than 125 local newspapers, several television shows including "Nightline," "MacNeil Lehrer News Hour," "ABC News," ESPN's "Sports Center," HBO's "Real Sports," and by more than 100 radio and television stations across the nation including National Public Radio. Dean Rosentraub has testified before congressional and state legislative committees (Indiana, Texas, Minnesota) discussing the relationship between sports and the public sector. He has worked for several cities including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse) in their efforts to retain teams and build facilities. Rosentraub has also been a consultant for Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Racing League. Dean Rosentraub's work has involved the new Staples Center in Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles' role in a new NFL franchise for that community, and the placement of minor league baseball teams in New York City.

Dean Rosentraub's sports-related and economic development research has been established in "Public Administration Review," "Economic Development Quarterly," the "Journal of Sports and Social Issues," the "Journal of Urban Affairs" and other edited collections. Dean Rosentraub's other research publications include more than 60 articles (and book chapters) that have appeared in "Urban Affairs Review," the "Journal of the American Planning Association," "Public Administration Review," "Public Finance Revenue," "Economic Development Quarterly," "Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly," "Social Science Journal," "Policy Studies Journal," "Public Productivity Review," "Journal of Environmental Systems," "State and Local Government Review," as well as several other journals and numerous collections.

In 1992, Dean Rosentraub's efforts to develop the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment in Indianapolis led to the award of an $8.6 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. During his career, Dean Rosentraub has been principal investigator for more than $11 million in contract research for numerous government and private organizations.

"The Search Committee of College faculty, staff and community leaders has strongly supported Dean Rosentraub's appointment to this important administrative leadership position," said Cleveland State's Interim Provost McLoughlin. "Levin College of Urban Affairs represents a national institution of strength. Dean Rosentraub's appointment comes at an important time in the College's history -- its move into a new building. I have every confidence, that, under his leadership, the College will gain further national recognition and continue its focus on academic, research and outreach programs."

"The faculty and staff of the Levin College, together with the support of the greater Cleveland community, have created one of the nation's leading educational centers for the study of urban issues," said Dean Rosentraub. "The College's teaching programs, sustained by the impressive research accomplishments of the faculty and centers, provides Cleveland State's students with an unrivaled learning environment. It is a privilege and honor to be selected as Dean, and I look forward to the opportunity to add to the legacy established by David Sweet."

Dean Rosentraub succeeds David C. Sweet, Ph.D., who left Levin College to become President of Youngstown State University. W. Dennis Keating, Ph.D., J.D., is serving as the Interim Dean of the College. Dean Rosentraub's appointment concludes a national search for a new dean to lead the College of Urban Affairs. He was selected from a group of public administration educators who were evaluated by a search committee.

"As the College begins to implement its new strategic plan from its new home, it is imperative that we commit our energies to expanding the Levin College's image and establish it as the nation's roundtable for the development of strategies to enhance urban life," said Rosentraub. "While meeting this goal, the College will renew its commitments to Cleveland and northeast Ohio. As part of one of America's great urban universities, the Levin College will continue to provide to all of Cleveland's constituencies the very best in higher education while helping to forge the urban agenda for America's cities."

Rosentraub and his wife, Karen Harlow, Ph.D. are the parents of four children. He is the stepfather of David Swindell and Alexa Harlow. David Swindell, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and director of the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program for the Department of Political Science at Clemson University. Alexa Harlow is a school counselor in Indianapolis. He is the father of Natalie and Sabrina Rosentraub. Natalie Rosentraub is an elementary school teacher in Indianapolis. Sabrina Rosentraub is a sophomore in high school.

Cleveland State University's Levin College, Ohio's only College of Urban Affairs, is ranked among the top eight schools of urban affairs in the United States. The College is ranked second in the graduate specialty of city management and urban policy in "U.S. News and World Report's" 1998 and 1999 issues of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The College offers ten degree programs: Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. in Urban Studies; Bachelor's in Environmental Studies and Science; the Master of Public Administration; and the Master of Urban Planning, Design, and Development. Joint degree programs provide the opportunity to earn the Juris Doctor (J.D.) with a Masters in Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.) or a Masters in Urban Planning, Design, and Development (J.D./M.U.P.D.D.). The College is the home of the Urban Center that includes the Center for Neighborhood Development, and the Urban Child Research Center, focal points for community outreach and research. Levin College is the editorial home of Economic Development Quarterly and the Public Administration Review (PAR).

For more information or media inquiries, contact Nancy Carlucci Smith, Communication Account Representative, Cleveland State University Public Relations and Publications Department, at 216-523-7294 or 216-687-2290.