Geisinger Professor of History William C. Kirby has been named the next dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University President Lawrence H. Summers announced yesterday afternoon.

Kirby said he was “excited” to lead the Faculty and pledged to place issues of undergraduate education at the top of his agenda, echoing the emphasis Summers has placed on the issue during his first year.

“It’s an enormous honor and a real privilege,” Kirby said. “We have a wonderful Faculty, and we have the best students in the world.”

Reviewing the undergraduate curriculum, with intense scrutiny on the Core Curriculum, and lending a more international perspective to Harvard’s academic endeavors will be among Kirby’s top priorities, he said yesterday.

“I think anyone coming into this job would have a set of goals, and one that I look very much forward to is a review of our undergraduate curriculum,” Kirby said. “This is something every great University needs to do on a periodic basis.”

As director of the Asia Center and a China scholar, Kirby is particularly well-suited to the task of making Harvard a presence in the global academy. He said expanding the Faculty’s focus on international studies will involve both developing programs at Harvard that deal with other parts of the world and increasing study abroad opportunities.

The appointment of Kirby marks a departure from the last three decades, during which two economists and a chemist have stood at the Faculty’s helm.

And several faculty said he provides balance to a University administration headed by an economist and a psychiatrist.

Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, who will officially step down July 1, said yesterday he was “pleased” with the selection of his successor.

“I am truly delighted that Bill Kirby has been appointed the new Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” he said in a statement. “He has been a splendid colleague, and his thoughtful leadership will serve the Faculty superbly.”

Yesterday’s announcement brought to a close Summers’ three-month search that began when Knowles announced his resignation on February 12.

Forming a 13-member Faculty advisory committee, Summers solicited feedback from students, professors and alumni, and he said yesterday nearly 80 nominees emerged from these conversations.

Kirby seemed to be a top contender for the job from the beginning, given his significant administrative experience and outgoing personality.

But Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Peter T. Ellison and Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Drew Gilpin Faust were also leading candidates in the search.

Kirby said he had spoken with Summers about the deanship several times during the course of the search.