The College of Arts & Sciences thanks outgoing Associate Deans of the Faculty for the Humanities Karl Kirchwey (English) and for the Social Sciences Nazli Kibria (Sociology) for their service and commitment to the college and welcomes new Associate Deans of the Faculty for the Humanities Alice Tseng (History of Art & Architecture) and for the Social Sciences Arianne Chernock (History) to the college leadership. Sean Mullen (Biology) will serve as Associate Dean of the Faculty for Natural Sciences while Michael Sorenson is on sabbatical during the 2022-2023 academic year.
“We are deeply grateful for Karl and Nazli for their dedicated work in supporting and promoting the social sciences and humanities across the college,” said Arts & Sciences Dean Stan Sclaroff. “They’ve both accomplished much in their time serving the faculty and the college—making important strides in recruiting outstanding faculty, fostering a more inclusive and diverse community, helping to facilitate strategic initiatives, including the creation of new center and new degree programs. Through their work they’ve made important and lasting impact on our college.”
Below is an exerpt of the remarks that Professor Kirchwey presented at a thank you reception on June 28.
I arrived in the Associate Deans’ office five years ago without having served as the chair of a department, and I was on a steep learning curve. But I said at the time, and I have repeated at intervals ever since—because it is true—that I regarded it as a privilege to serve as intermediary between an gifted faculty and the highly competent and professional administration that is working to support them.
I have had a chance to understand exactly how gifted my faculty and administrative colleagues in CAS Humanities are while thinking back to the early days of the pandemic. First there was the sudden pivot to fully remote learning. Then there was the modulation to Learn from Anywhere—and no one has ever understood that italicized “from,” a typographical crux seemingly designed to drive Humanists crazy. Next came the modulation away from LfA and back to in-person learning. All of this, in retrospect, feels like a series of closely-spaced revolutions. These have been lively years in the Dean’s Office . . . .
. . . . I would like to express my gratitude, not only to the department chairs and program directors who patiently and good-humoredly showed a rookie how to work effectively as an Associate Dean, but to the veteran CAS administrative staff who devote their best energy, year after year, to the complicated procedures and policies by which the work of CAS advances. The privilege of service now passes to my colleague Alice Tseng, and she is fortunate to be joining such a team. My last words should go to CAS Dean Stan Sclaroff, who in spite of all the disruptions of the pandemic has done so much, both to make CAS a more humane and transparent place, and, somehow, to advance important new initiatives as well.