John Boyer has accepted a fourth five-year term as dean of the College, administrators announced Monday.

Boyer is the longest-serving dean of the College in U of C history. In 2002, he became the first person to serve three terms as dean.

Boyer, the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor in History and in the College, joined the faculty in 1975, the same year he earned his Ph.D. from the University. He received his A.M. from the University in 1969.

As dean, Boyer has directed the development of study-abroad programs, helped strengthen concentrations within the College, and increased the funding for faculty chairs, student scholarships, and foreign-language grants.

“The College of 2006 is quite a different place from the College of 1992, when John Boyer began his first term,” said Susan Art, dean of students, in a phone interview. “Our students are lucky to have a dean who is so completely committed to providing them with an outstanding college education.”

“Dean Boyer has provided devoted service that has changed the College,” University Provost Richard Saller said in an e-mail interview. “I am glad that he is willing to take another term.”

Boyer said he has several new initiatives for the coming term, including increasing opportunities for students to “engage with and learn from the city” and the world at large.

“Engaging and understanding other cultures and societies outside the United States is also a crucial part of our tradition of liberal education,” Boyer said in an e-mail interview. “We have made great progress in international education over the past 10 years, and we need to continue to think about new opportunities for students in that realm as well.”

Boyer said he hopes to expand research and internship opportunities. He pointed to a new program that will allow College students to spend the summer between their third and fourth years working on research projects that contribute to their B.A. papers or other senior projects.