The quality of a university depends on the quality of its faculty, and hiring the best and giving them a strong start is crucial. In 2014/15, CAS hired 26 new professors across the humanities and social, natural, and computational sciences that will begin their careers here in the coming year. (See Appendix, New CAS Faculty, AY 2015/2016.)
One of our new faculty hires was Raymond Fisman, the first Slater Family Professor in Behavioral Economics. The new professorship, created through a $2.5 million endowment from the Slater family and a matching grant through the Leventhal Challenge, is the first endowed chair in the department’s history. He will explore the psychology of financial decision-making. Fisman comes to us from Columbia University, where he was the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise. He is a major contributor to academic economics and has written groundbreaking papers on political corruption, the role of cultural connections in economic development, and the way people make decisions about charitable donations.
This past year, CAS introduced several initiatives to help faculty be successful in the classroom. A new policy for collaborative and team teaching was announced, in addition to the implementation of joint programmatic appointments. These appointments will foster interdisciplinary teaching and research by formalizing the relationships faculty members have in various departments. A workshop was also developed for junior faculty to learn tips from their senior colleagues, such as new teaching styles and methods, and to foster communication. Lastly, a new buyout policy was introduced to help faculty balance research and teaching. By making buyouts more affordable, faculty will be able to hire postdoctoral fellows or graduate students to support emerging research and activities.
The Geddes Language Center introduced new programs to help language faculty better incorporate technology into their teaching. The center trained faculty in 11 languages on how to use the Digital Language Lab for Mac; offered a Teaching with Technology series that included webinars, hands-on training and eLearning tools, and a mini-conference; and worked with language faculty to design hybrid-online courses in multiple languages. All of these efforts are helping our language faculty connect with students in new and fruitful ways.
The quality of CAS faculty is evident in the large number of prestigious awards they win for their research, including, in the past year: a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and two elections into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
CAS faculty members are also honored for their teaching—for the innovation, passion, and commitment with which they approach their craft. Binyomin Abrams’ enthusiasm, innovation, and communication as a senior lecturer in chemistry earned him one of the University’s highest teaching honors, the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching. Pamela Templer, associate professor of biology, also received the Metcalf Award for “bringing science to life.” Carrie Preston’s exceptional work in the classroom and outstanding scholarly contributions as director of the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program earned her the 2015 United Methodist Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award. The award recognizes outstanding scholarship and contributions to the learning arts and the University.
Highlight: Faculty Awards & Recognition
Promotions
In 2014/15, 12 CAS assistant professors were promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure: Amy Appleford, English; Margaret Beck, mathematics & statistics; Tulika Bose, physics; Michael Dietze, earth & environment; Horacio Frydman, biology; Sharon Goldberg, computer science; Anna Henchman, English; Lucy Hutyra, earth & environment; Mark Kramer, mathematics & statistics; Ashley Mears, sociology; Pankaj Mehta, physics; and Andrew West, astronomy.
Eight CAS faculty were promoted to the rank of professor: Thomas Berger, international relations; Sean Elliott, chemistry; Robert Pollack, mathematics & statistics; Leonid Reyzin, computer science; Christopher Schneider, biology; Daniel Segré, biology; Sunil Sharma, modern languages & comparative literature; and Irene Zaderenko, romance studies.
Finally, eight CAS faculty members retired from active service as professors and, after a vote of the faculty, were granted the title of professor emeritus or emerita, a mark of respect for colleagues who exemplify the highest values of the academic profession. These newly retired faculty include Qianshen Bai, history of art & architecture; Kenneth Brecher, astronomy; Gloria Callard, biology; Jeffrey Coulter, sociology; Barbara Diefendorf, history; Theodore Fritz, astronomy; Charles Lindholm, anthropology; Alan Strahler, earth & environment; Roye Wates, music; and Peter Yeager, sociology.