"He brings a dedication to the job that is infections to others," says Administrative Dean Joel C. Monell. "That characteristic is particularly important."

Professor of Education Carol H. Weiss says Murphy's many years at the school put him in a good position to run operations efficiently.

The new dean already has extensive management experience, Weiss says, because he played a large role in directing the school's internal affairs as associate dean.

"He is well versed in the issues and has a great deal of talent," Weiss says.

Murphy spends most of his time at the school. He spends a much smaller amount of time playing an increasingly disappointing game of squash: "The older I get, the more I seem to lose."

And he does his best to spend some time in public schools like the one he visited in New York.

"It would be very easy for me not to visit schools or school systems at all," Murphy says. "I do it partly because it's so easy to get removed."

"It just affects me much more powerfully than it does by reading about it," he says. "I force it onto my calendar because it keeps my passion."

Erick P. Chan contributed to the reporting of this article.