From the Chairs
We hope that this edition of the newsletter finds you well and healthy. Looking back at the academic year that just ended and its avalanche of incredible challenges, we are humbled by the grit, professionalism, determination and collective wisdom of our faculty and students. Thank you all for pushing through stressful situations, for adapting to online teaching essentially overnight, and for tirelessly working on behalf of our students.
We will let the stories in the newsletter speak of the department’s professional activities and of the many successes we had this past year: new initiatives, grants, new national and university awards. Here we want to express the department’s commitment to building an inclusive and supporting academic community where Black Lives Matter. We count on every one of you as we work towards
a more diverse, more equitable and a more inclusive department.
In the heart of a diverse city and part of a university that serves a diverse body of students, we are uniquely positioned to put thoughts into action. We should do more and we should do better to create positive change and to fight racism in all aspects of life, and especially in the academic environment. The road ahead is long and we need to keep each other accountable on this course.
Irina Mitrea, Chair
Brian Rider, Associate Chair