When Yidi Wu talks about Argentine tango, her face glows with the same energy she brings to the dance floor. Growing up in China, Wu learned choreographed dance, like ballet, modern dance and Chinese folk dance, but not partner dancing. Choreography is structured and dancers know the next moves in the routine. In tango, however, each step is improvised, which made Wu fall in love with the dance.

Wu discovered tango while studying to be a China historian at the University of California, Irvine, where she took partner-dance classes at the university gym. She gravitated toward tango and joined a student club for social dancing, where she eventually joined the Bay Area’s wider tango community. More than 10 years later, she still dances regularly — both for pleasure and for work. She describes herself as a historian by day and a dancer by night.

In addition to teaching courses on China, East Asia and world history, Wu also teaches a Winter Term Argentine tango course, which blends her academic expertise with her passion for dance. The course, which she has taught twice, combines history, film and, of course, dance. The course also gives students a broad understanding of tango’s global history. Each class, Wu introduces new vocabulary, emphasizing that tango functions as a language in its own way.

“The Argentine tango course is one of my favorite classes to teach because it is so different from what I usually teach and how I teach,” said Wu, an associate professor of history and ������Ƶ’s O’Briant Developing Professor. “Tango is a social dance, and it is for everyone.”

Because tango is a partner dance, Wu invites her local tango friends from Durham, Chapel Hill and Greensboro to join each class and help teach. Wu said she is very appreciative of the local tango community.

The Winter Term course concludes with a milonga, a tango dance party, that is open to the community and features musicians. Wu says milonga is an important part of her course on the history and culture around Argentine tango because the tango is meant to be enjoyed in a social setting.

“This course is very unique, and there are few courses like it in the United States,” she said. “Teaching tango and combining dance with history is very interdisciplinary.”

Students from a variety of majors have enrolled in the course. In fact, Wu said, the first year she taught it, none were dance majors, though many students grew up dancing or enjoyed movement.

If you are looking for Wu outside of the classroom, you can find her dancing at a local tango club in Durham.

 (Brepols, 2026) is derived from the third and fourth installations of the  conference. The purpose of the conference was to examine how the bishop, one of the key characters in the administration of medieval Europe, shaped how medieval European history has been recorded and remembered. Bolstered by the sense that the bishop, as an organizing idea, matters, the inaugural conference, In the Hands of God’s Servants, sought to examine the construction, enhancement, and expression of episcopal power at a local level. Papers selected and adapted for publication appeared in , which offers microhistories of episcopal power and authority, fracturing what we know about the bishop into episodes that represent dioceses and dependents, and the individuals that ran them. The singularity of these stories inspired the subject of the second conference on Episcopal Personalities. Papers from this conference were published in , which explored the work and responsibilities of the bishop, how a bishop’s persona shaped his approach to the episcopal office, and how a bishop’s charisma affected the way in which he was received or remembered by the communities he served.

Analysis of the bishop’s personality encouraged the organizers to mine the slippery space between the office and the man, not only for the ways this space elides differences between the episcopal personae of priest, pastor, or prince, but also because the space sheds light on from where— or from whom — a bishop’s power derived. The third conference, The Bishop as Diplomat, took up this question as its focus, turning away from the bishop as an agent for and as himself, to the bishop’s role as a representative of the power and authority of others. The papers offered at this conference examined how bishops developed the skills and tactics needed for diplomacy, as well as how and when these skills were deployed, and in what circumstances. They also explored what it meant for a bishop, who was already representing an office beyond himself, to be a diplomat, which often required the bishop to re-present someone else.

Two years later, organizers turned to a theme that had been at the edge of each of the previous conferences: the Bishop as Patron. This conference focused on visual, material and social expressions of episcopal power as well as how those expressions were managed to ensure the legitimacy or the legacy of a bishop. Papers examined traditional examples of patronage, such as those demonstrated through the construction, expansion, and renovation of buildings and the production and reception of manuscripts. The papers asked how and with whom bishops built relationships, and how those relationships were maintained (or neglected).

The essays selected from these last two conferences were edited, expanded and combined into a single volume. Together, they offer a broad overview of how relational culture defines how, why, and for whom bishops work.

is divided into four parts. The introduction, authored by Gatti and Silvestri, explains how this book, the last in the “Power of the Bishop” series, responds to and expands on the usefulness of the “bishop” as a category of scholarly focus. Next, a prologue by Philippa Byrne asks, “What was Episcopal about Episcopal Patronage?” The remaining essays are divided into two sections. The first section, “Episcopal Patronage as Re/Presentation”, foregrounds the material aspects of episcopal patronage, such as churches, manuscripts, hagiographies, rites, rituals, frescoes, windows and tombs. This section includes a chapter by Gatti, “Diplomatic Gestures: Art and Ambivalence in Eleventh-Century Italy”, in which she compares visual images of the bishop to the embodied language of diplomatic gestures. The final section, “Patronizing Bishops: Clients, Diplomats, Allies, and Rivals”, examines episcopal patronage as an extension of episcopal relationships with families, kings, emperors, and clients, with predecessors and successors, as alliances and antagonisms, and between bishops and their congregations, as well as the monastic and secular clergy.

Creating a coherent collection in a field as broad and disparate as medieval studies can be challenging. In fact, the hardships experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibitions for travel, the closure of archives and libraries across the UK, Europe, and North America, as well as the crises in higher education and funding cuts for scholarly work, made completing this book particularly difficult. In fact, it was because of these challenges that a decision was made to publish papers from the 2017 and 2019 conferences together after plans for a separate volume fell through. This effort fulfilled a commitment made by the conveners to publish high-quality scholarly papers that had been selected and expanded for publication.

Since his 2023 arrival at ������Ƶ, Kelly has hosted a ‘listening tour’ and spent time with each department to hear directly from faculty and staff about what they value. Kelly said that common themes soon emerged from those conversations and the new statement reflects dozens of discussions.

������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences new vision statement reads: “The Heart of an ������Ƶ Education: Ignite Curiosity, Engage Challenges, Transform Worlds.”

The mission statement then declares:

“Upholding the centrality of the liberal arts, we explore and apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge for inquiry, creativity, discovery and problem solving in a complex and changing world.”

The statement lists core values that include accessibility, belonging, critical thinking, diversity, equity and inclusion, integrity, intellectual curiosity, problem-posing and respect for human dignity.

Community Reflections

• “There were several opportunities for different groups, departments, branches, interdisciplinary programs, to discuss versions on the table. It was in those conversations where we might learn how a word or phrase was heard within and across disciplines; where we found convergence, deeper awareness, and respect. The both-and of this process modeled what we value and genuinely captures our shared identity as ������Ƶ College.” – Caroline Ketcham, associate dean of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of exercise science
• “It was always important to us that this wasn’t a process where faculty were just asked to weigh in at the end, after the real decisions had already been made. From start to finish, it was grounded in listening to what faculty across the college say we do well and what values they believe guide our shared work. Our task wasn’t to invent a mission, vision and values, but to clearly articulate what faculty are already living and leading with. I think that’s why faculty can so readily see themselves and their departments represented in the final statements.” – David Buck, associate dean of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences and an associate professor of psychology
• “Having shared goals and articulated values helps everyone in the college feel connected as a community, value each other’s work and prioritize our energies on initiatives that matter to us.” – Shannon Duvall, interim associate dean of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of computer science
• “I appreciated the collaborative nature of it all, not just between the dean’s office and department chairs, but also extending to faculty members across ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences. It really did involve all of us. What particularly stood out to me were the conversations in our chairs’ meetings with the dean where we came to agreements on core values. It’s inspiring to see that distinctly different types of disciplines uphold the same core values.” – Joel Karty, chair of the Department of Chemistry and ������Ƶ’s Sydney F. & Kathleen E. Jackson Professor of chemistry
• “I appreciated being part of a process that felt genuinely collaborative. Our participation was not merely symbolic. It felt meaningful, and I experienced the dean’s office as truly listening. The process itself was also inspirational, and I feel bolstered in leading my own department through similar work. It was powerful to see such a broad, collective effort take shape into something tangible.” – Samantha DiRosa, chair of the Department of Art and a professor of art and environmental studies
• “The process of creating a new vision statement, mission statement and core values for ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences was both thoughtful and deeply collaborative. Over many months, department chairs worked together to reflect on what makes us distinctive and how best to express those qualities in guiding statements. The process intentionally sought input from across departments, ensuring that everyone in the college had the opportunity to contribute their perspectives. Personally, the time spent reflecting with fellow chairs on what makes each of our departments special fostered a deeper sense of shared purpose and collective commitment.” – Carrie Eaves, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Policy and associate professor of political science and public policy

Kelly said he was pleased the final language resonated with the faculty in the college.

“The true measure of a successful attempt to lead a group or an organization towards a renewed vision, mission and core values is whether the words and sentiments ‘sound like us’,” he said. “When I heard that some faculty believed my presentation of our vision, mission and core values at our spring faculty meeting ‘sound like us,’ I knew that our work together in small and large group settings was a huge success. It means that stakeholders were heard and that the words resonate so much so that the tune or melody is familiar. The vision, mission and core values reflect truly who we are and where we are going with much intention.”

Community Conversations & Civic Engagement

Deliberative Dialogue – America’s 250: What’s Next America?

Monday, Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m., Lakeside 212

As America marks its 250th year, this dialogue invites reflection on our shared past and the opportunity for diverse voices to share space and ideas to develop a collective vision for the next 250. Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Political Engagement Work Group

Better Together: Breaking Bread, Building Bridges

Feb. 24 – May 5, every other Tuesday, 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Join us at Better Together this spring for connection and conversation. This time together invites us to live fully in the present and reflect on what makes this moment meaningful. Share stories, explore diverse perspectives, and build community. .

Dr. Habiba Sarabi: Education Rights of Afghan Women

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Alumni Gym

Join a conversation with Dr. Habiba Sarabi on the global impact of Afghanistan’s ban on women’s education and the fight for educational rights and gender equality. Dr. Sarabi, an Afghan politician, women’s rights activist, and medical doctor made history as the first woman to be appointed a provincial governor in Afghanistan, leading Bamyan Province. She previously served as Minister of Women’s Affairs and Minister of Culture and Education, where she focused on expanding education, protecting the environment and advancing the rights of women.

State of the Union Address Watch Party

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8-10:30 p.m., Moseley 105

Join us for pizza and a live viewing of President Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term. Come watch, discuss and stay informed. Sponsored by ������Ƶ Votes!

Love Your Body, Berry Much

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lakeside Entrance

Stop by for coconut-lime strawberries and a strawberry mocktail, courtesy of ������Ƶ Dining, while also learning tips for mindful eating. Swing through, grab a treat and discover ways to build healthier habits. Visit the for more information.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss – “Man Up: Understanding Misogyny to Prevent Extremism

Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Lecture

Thursday, Feb. 26, 4:30 p.m., Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space

Extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss examines how misogyny – online and off – fuels the rise in far-right and mass violence, and offers strategies for interruption and prevention rooted in everyday life. The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Lecture honors Lauren, who was set to join ������Ƶ’s Class of 2015 before her murder by a former boyfriend in July 2011. Established in her memory, the fund educates the ������Ƶ community on healthy relationships and building a culture free from violence. Visit the Spring Cultural Calendar for more information about upcoming events this semester.

Adventure Time with ������Ƶ Outdoors!

Adventures in Leadership Summer Staff Positions Available

Applications are now open for summer Adventures in Leadership staff positions, where you’ll guide incoming first-year students through exciting outdoor experiences. Earn potential internship credit and build leadership skills. Apply today on the ������Ƶ Job Network!

������Ƶ Challenge

The ������Ƶ Challenge is a great way to help classes, teams, organizations, corporations or cohorts grow through building authentic relationships, learning how to manage resources, developing creative thinking, and applying knowledge in new ways. Visit the ������Ƶ Challenge website to review the options, gather your group, and complete the interest form to schedule a customized, no-cost experience.

Last Chance to Become an Orientation Leader

Application Deadline is Friday, Feb. 27

The Orientation Leader application is still live. As an OL, you are an integral part of the orientation process. You will play a pivotal role in the transition of all the new students to ������Ƶ, serving as a guide and mentor to new students throughout their transition. by this Friday, Feb. 27.

Arrington Brooks will join eight other regional recipients who were nominated for their impact, first by the public, before being selected by the Washingtonian. Her profile will also be featured in the January issue of the magazine.

This recognition is just one of many received by Arrington Brooks this year. This December, she was named one of  during the initiative’s 20th year. With a focus on the L’Oréal Paris tagline, “Because You’re Worth It,” the honor awards 10 nonprofit leaders with $25,000 to support their causes, mentorship from the L’Oréal Paris network, as well as a national platform to share their impact. In attendance at the Dec. 2 event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ Dolby Family Terrace in Los Angeles were actor Sophia Bush, who interviewed Arrington Brooks on the 20th anniversary red carpet, model and “Project Runway” host Heidi Klum who met with her, and actor Andie McDowell who introduced her and Sloane Davidson at the event.

Earlier this year, Arrington Brooks was named one of ������Ƶ’s Top 10 Under 10 recipients during Alumni Awards Weekend on May 3, recognizing her founding and continued work with the nonprofit, ScholarCHIPS. ScholarCHIPS provides college scholarships, mentoring, mental health support, and a network to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. The initiative has gained traction through the ������Ƶ Alumni Chapter in Washington, D.C., and several national broadcasts including CNN Heroes and the Drew Barrymore Show.

Now, ������Ƶ’s Department of English, History and Music, and Women’s, Gender, & Sexualities program is inviting the community to “Celebrating Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf: An Anniversary Symposium” from Nov. 4-6 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth and the 100th anniversary of Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway”.

Austen’s novels explore the moral, material and emotional lives of women navigating the constraints of the late 18th and early 19th centuries’ marriage market.

“In spite of her reputation as a charming romance writer, Jane Austen is not as polite, kind or innocent as sometimes advertised,” said Professor Rosemary Haskell. “Letters reveal a sharper side. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, for example, Austen writes, ‘Mrs. Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband.’”

Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” follows upper-class Clarissa Dalloway through a single day in 1920s London as she plans a party that will bring together friends and former lovers, only to be overshadowed by the tragedy of a World War I veteran’s suicide.

“Virginia Woolf explored the lives of women in both fiction and nonfiction,” Haskell said. “Her 1929 essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’ argues women need both the space, the time and the money to be artists. As Woolf speculates, ‘What would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister, called Judith, let us say?’”

The symposium will feature music, student poster presentations, lectures and a film screening.

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Who Do You Play For? Music and Meaning in Jane Austen

Associate Professor of Music Douglas Jurs and his students will perform music inspired by Austen’s works.
Whitley Auditorium | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Student Poster Presentation

Students in Professor Megan Isaac’s “Senior English Seminar” and Professor Janet Myers’s “British Women Novelists” courses will present research on the works of Austen and Woolf.
LaRose Student Commons Room 200 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Lightning Lectures

Three brief lectures by Professor Rosemary Haskell, Assistant Teaching Professor Craig Morehead and Professor Michael Carignan from the Department of History will explore the lives and times of Austen and Woolf.
LaRose Student Commons Room 200 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 5

Film Screening: “Mrs. Dalloway”

Enjoy a screening of “Mrs. Dalloway,” based on Woolf’s celebrated novel, with opening remarks by Assistant Professor Dan Burns.
McEwen Screening Room 013 | 8 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 6

Guest Lecturer on Austen

Inger Brodey, a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will lecture on, “Revisiting Jane Austen’s Happy Endings after 250 Years,” to examine the problematic endings of Austen’s novels, which are conveniently romantically happy, but also contain disturbing implications. Brodey’s book, “Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness” was published in 2024 by John Hopkins University Press.
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion | Reception at 6:30 p.m., Lecture at 7 p.m.

Launched by the US-UK Fulbright Commission in partnership with AAC&U, the awards support pairs of U.S.- and U.K.-based faculty who co-deliver VE/COIL courses addressing climate Action, health Inequality, disinformation & misinformation, or peace and justice. Each recipient works with an institutional team (administrator and instructional support colleague) to scale VE/COIL on their campus.

As part of the award, Marshall will co-design and co-teach a transatlantic course pairing ������Ƶ’s “Foundations of Peace & Conflict Studies” with “Atrocities, Conflict, Human Rights,” led by Peter Manning of the University of Bath. Implementation is slated to begin in fall 2026 following AAC&U-led clinics and mentoring for recipients.

Marshall’s scholarship and teaching center on political and cultural geography with expertise in the Middle East, migration and refugees, and the geographies of children and youth. He has authored more than three dozen articles and chapters and leads community-engaged research using methods such as oral history and digital storytelling.

“I’m excited that this collaboration will offer students in my Peace and Conflict Studies course the opportunity to engage in dialogue and peer-to-peer learning about pressing global issues from a truly transnational perspective,” Marshall said. “This kind of project not only enhances students’ intercultural learning but also provides them with valuable real-world collaboration skills.”

Representing ������Ƶ, Marshall is joined by an institutional team of Nick Gozik, dean of global education, and Becky Kloepfer, instructional technologist with Teaching and Learning Technologies. Institutional teams in the program help integrate virtual exchange across the curriculum and build campus capacity for VE/COIL.

“This recognition highlights ������Ƶ’s commitment to relationship-rich global learning that is accessible to all students. VE/COIL allows us to embed meaningful, mentored international engagement directly into courses, advancing our goals for inclusive excellence and global education as found within ������Ƶ’s Global Strategic Plan,” said Gozik.

Kloepfer added: “I’m thrilled to contribute to this project and to see how intentional instructional design and purposeful technology integration can create opportunities for meaningful collaboration across our global community. By embedding VE/COIL into our courses, we’re not only expanding cultural perspectives but also engaging students in authentic, real-world learning experiences that prepare them for a connected world.”

The fellowship supports the next generation of China specialists and helps them engage with the American public. The program is designed to deepen fellows’ understanding of policymaking in both countries, strengthen relationships with academic and policy leaders, and build skills for public engagement.

Wu will join 19 other fellows for workshops in Washington, D.C., on the West Coast and in Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The fellows will meet with policymakers, participate in media training and receive support to organize U.S. – China events in their local communities.

“I am very honored to be selected for this competitive program, and I envision several ways to contribute to ������Ƶ and the community through the program,” Wu said.

Wu plans to host a China Town Hall event on campus in collaboration with PIP to spark student engagement with contemporary China. She is also in discussions with LIFE@������Ƶ about delivering a talk on the history of Chinese higher education.
She also plans to organize a book talk at Persnickety Books in Burlington, upon the release of her first book, “Student Activism in Bloom: China and the Communist World in the Late 1950s,” to be published by Cambridge University Press, continuing her efforts to connect her scholarship with the broader public.

Established in 1966, the National Committee on United States-China Relations is a registered nonprofit educational organization that “encourages understanding of China and the United States between citizens of both countries.”

As a Chinese national who has pursued a liberal arts college education in the U.S., Wu brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by both Chinese and American educational systems. Within her PIP cohort, her focus on teaching and pedagogy, in addition to her scholarship, is seen as an asset.

At ������Ƶ, Wu uses role-playing games in her Chinese history courses to engage students in historical decision-making. Her scholarly work explores student activism in the Mao era and Chinese higher education during the Cold War, subjects that remain underrepresented in English-language scholarship.

“With my PIP training, I hope to expand my horizon beyond campus and academia, to engage more with the American public locally and nationally,” Wu said. “My research on student activism and higher education, paired with innovative pedagogy, allows me to foster deeper understandings of U.S. – China relations through the lens of education.

“Trained as a historian who conducts oral history interviews, I am committed to asking meaningful questions, building dialogue and connecting across communities.”

When accepted a summer internship with the (NMAH), she knew one thing for certain: if the experience was going to be remote, she was going to make the most of it. From her laptop in Charlotte, Moore dove into editorial projects, joined committees, and sought out connections that ensured her internship would be as engaging and fulfilling as if she had spent the summer in Washington, D.C.

“I was determined to be as connected and involved as I could be for a remote intern,” Moore said. That determination defined her internship experience, pushing her to participate in projects far beyond her primary editorial role.

As an Editorial Services intern, Moore immersed herself in the museum’s public-facing work – writing and refining text for exhibitions, newsletters, promotional materials, and accessibility initiatives. She contributed to more than 150 pieces of exhibition text and worked on 25 separate projects, each with unique editorial needs. The range of assignments gave her a crash course in the precision and creativity required for museum communication. From captioning and alt text to exhibition signage, she learned that editing was about more than grammar – it was about making history accessible and engaging to broad audiences.

She also sought ways to build community. Moore joined the museum’s newsletter and social committees, collaborating with fellow interns to highlight their projects in a newsletter distributed to NMAH staff, volunteers, and Fellows. She also logged into professional development workshops hosted by the Smithsonian’s Office of Academic Appointments and Internships, where she connected with students interning across the institution. These opportunities gave her a sense of belonging, even while working hundreds of miles away.

During the final week of her internship, Moore traveled to Washington, D.C., where she connected with colleagues in person, toured the museum, and worked from the Editorial Services office. The chance to step behind the scenes of the institution she had come to know remotely brought her summer experience full circle.

Equally valuable as the projects she completed were the relationships she built. Meeting professional editors, hearing their career stories, and benefiting from their mentorship left a lasting impression. “Getting to meet other editors was incredible,” Moore said. “The staff at NMAH were welcoming, and I enjoyed learning more about everyone’s career paths.”

Her curiosity extended beyond editing. Reviewing exhibition texts exposed her to a wide range of U.S. history topics, a rewarding element of the work. “Since most of the projects were educational, I got to learn a lot about different U.S. history topics,” she said. “I am someone who is really driven by curiosity and storytelling, so this aspect made the work even more fulfilling.”

Moore credits her coursework at ������Ƶ with preparing her for the Smithsonian experience. Classes like Multiplatform News Editing, Media Law and Ethics, and Introduction to Museum Studies provided the foundation she drew on throughout the summer. At times, she even pulled out old notes to guide her through assignments. The lessons she gained also reshaped how she approaches her role as managing editor of The Pendulum, ������Ƶ’s student-run newspaper.

“This experience fundamentally changed the way I approach editing,” she said.

Looking back, Moore is eager to share advice with other students hoping to land similar internships. Her first suggestion is simple: apply, even if an opportunity feels out of reach.

She recalled nearly skipping both the Smithsonian application and an earlier National Geographic application because she doubted her chances. While she did not get the NatGeo position, the interview process sharpened her skills and gave her confidence moving forward. She encourages others to view internships as learning opportunities rather than proof of expertise.

“If you’re the ideal candidate based on the job listing, how much can you learn in that experience? Moore asked.

The ������Ƶ senior also urges students to show adaptability and a willingness to grow. While she was confident in her copyediting skills, she had never worked with the Chicago Manual of Style before arriving at NMAH. By highlighting her ability to adapt to different style guides, she showed the editorial team she was ready to learn. Practical preparation also matters, she added – keep portfolios updated and request recommendation letters early.

For Moore, her internship reaffirmed her career goals. Being an editor at a museum remains her dream job, but she knows her post-graduation path may be broader at first. Still, her summer at the Smithsonian convinced her she is on the right path.

With expertise across multiple disciplines, the new faculty have demonstrated passion for teaching and pursuing research or creative projects in mentorship with students.

“We are fortunate to welcome these outstanding scholars to ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Hilton Kelly, Dean of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences. “During the interview process, I appreciated each scholar’s enthusiasm, expertise, and creativity, as well as their pronounced dedication to teaching, research and student success. These are scholars who will make significant contributions to the College, the university, and their chosen fields.”

New Professors and Staff for 2025-26 in ������Ƶ College, the College of Art and Sciences

• Brian Brew, Assistant Professor of Political Science & Public Policy, earned a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will teach American Government and Campaigns and Elections.

• Charles Doan, Assistant Professor of Psychology, earned a PhD from Ohio University. He will teach Cognitive Psychology.

• Meleena Gil, Assistant Professor of English, earned a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They will teach Writing: Argument and Inquiry.

• Celia Hameury, Assistant Professor of Engineering, earned a PhD from McGill University. She will teach Grand Challenges Engineering I.

• Dan Hartung, Assistant Professor of Music, earned a DMA at the University of Texas at Austin. He will teach Concert Band, Marching Band and Percussion Ensemble.

• Jessica Hightower, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, earned an MFA from The Ohio State University. She will teach COR 1100: The Global Experience.

• Zackary Hutchens, Assistant Professor of Physics, earned a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will teach University Physics I.

• Negesti Kaudo ’15, Assistant Professor of English, earned an MFA from Columbia College Chicago. She will teach Writing: Argument and Inquiry and Introduction to Creative Writing.

• Justin Miller, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, earned an MFA from The Ohio State University. He will teach Scenic Design, Scenic Art and Drafting and Modelmaking.

• Emma Moesswilde, Assistant Professor of History & Geography, earned a PhD from Georgetown University. She will teach The World in the 20th Century.

• Breanna Mueller, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, earned a PhD from Auburn University. She will teach Physiology of Exercise.

• Nikita Shepard, Assistant Professor of History & Geography, earned a PhD from Columbia University. They will teach Contested Democracy/US since 1865 and Sexuality in the U.S.

• Rodney Tigaa, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, earned a PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno. He will teach Inorganic Chemistry and General Chemistry I.

• Andre Waschka, Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, earned a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He will teach Statistics in Application.

About ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences

������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences provides the foundation for the study of the liberal arts and sciences at ������Ƶ. The college is comprised of 21 departments across three branches: the arts and humanities; natural, mathematical and computational sciences; and social and behavioral sciences. It hosts ������Ƶ’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society celebrating excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.

Committed to the growth of students’ intellectual curiosity, intercultural competence and critical thinking, the college champions disciplinary knowledge and interdisciplinary applications to reflect upon, respond to and offer solutions to complex problems in an interconnected and changing world.

With more than 45 majors and 65 minors, the college is ������Ƶ’s largest academic division. Two-thirds of the nearly 1,600 students who graduate from ������Ƶ annually do so with at least one major or minor in the college. Within a year, over 90% of college graduates report employment in their chosen field or enrollment in top post-graduate programs.

College faculty are prolific and preeminent scholars and creators in their fields, recognized for expertise at national and international levels. Each year, its more than 300 full-time faculty publish hundreds of articles, chapters, and books, and they present at scores of conferences and events. Their scholarship results in grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Institutes of Health and other prominent centers of research.