Dear College Faculty and Staff,

As we approach the end of the academic year, I want to be sure to recognize and thank our outgoing department chairs and department managers. Without these dedicated members of the College community, our departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, English, Ethnic Studies, Mathematics and Computer Science, Religious Studies, Theatre and Dance, and our programs in Public Health and Military Science, would not be positioned for success as we make our way out of this global pandemic.

Their work on behalf of their department or program and the College has been invaluable and I wish each of them well in their next endeavor—whether in retirement, on a sabbatical, or in a new position.

Please join me in congratulating and thanking our colleagues!

Daniel

Chairs

Phyllis Brown has had a long and illustrious career in departmental and university administration. We thank her for stepping up to lead the English department (again!) as Associate Chair and Chair for the last four years. Phyllis is judicious and thoughtful, drawing from a deep well of experience while also remaining open to new practices and paradigms. One of her great strengths is her ability to truly listen to her colleagues and act on their advice, engaging in democratic decision-making and agenda-setting that makes the department a more equitable and inclusive place. Next year, her last year of phased retirement, she will continue to serve her departmental colleagues as Associate Chair of the department. Thank you, Phyllis.

David Gray, the master of Tantric Buddhist translations used his Zen approach to work wonders for six years as chair of the department of Religious Studies. During his time, he oversaw eight tenure track hires, one lecturer hire and the retirements of six full professors. He has helped to foster a department culture of diversity, inclusion, and anti-racist practice. David’s scholarship continued to thrive during his time as chair, as he published another acclaimed volume on Cakrasamvara Tantra. At the end of May, he submitted another completed manuscript, and just signed a contract with Oxford Press to start a new book project. He will spend his well deserved sabbatical next year working on that book. Thank you, David.

David Popalisky has been an effective leader, advocate, and problem-solver in his two terms as chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. During this transitional period with departures and retirements, he has embraced change for the future, moving the department toward devised theatre and collaboration and diversifying the faculty, curriculum, and culture. The move to online teaching was especially challenging for the performing arts, and David admirably met the challenge of supporting faculty, staff, and students in his department. David is an accomplished dancer/choreographer and he will work on his creative and scholarly projects next year and take a well-deserved sabbatical. Thank you, David.

Anna Sampaio has chaired Ethnic Studies for six years, leading the move from program to departmental status, and the creation of a stand-alone major. Her colleagues credit her expansive vision and tireless leadership for these developments, and more recently for the establishment of new minors in Asian American Studies, Black/African American Studies, and Latina/o/x Studies. We are grateful for Anna’s campus-wide leadership on racial justice, including co-founding the College working group on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Anna helped establish the Undocumented Student Working Group and the Undocumented Students & Allies Association. She is a nationally recognized public intellectual whose scholarship affirms the humanity, dignity, and rights of immigrant and Latinx communities. Thank you, Anna.

Kat Saxton has had a very busy two years as Director of the Public Health Program. She led the effort to get the new Health and Society emphasis approved for the Public Health major, and the Program had a successful tenure-track search this year. But probably her most valuable contribution has been her service to the university during the pandemic. She has done outreach to students through social media work (“Ask Professor Kat!”), and, because of her expertise in epidemiology and public health strategy, Kat has been very influential in guiding SCU's response to COVID. In July she will begin a term as an Associate Dean in our office. Thank you, Kat.

Department and
Program Managers

Apryl Roberts
When Apryl retired in January of this year, she completed 16 years at the university and three with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Coming to the College from the School of Engineering provided Apryl with many opportunities to learn about the intricacies and subtleties involved with the administration of a large academic department. Within this new environment, one opportunity was particularly relished: the interactions with the department’s ever-increasing population of majors. Apryl remarked that working with students was an immense source of joy for her and she spoke of their interactions fondly. For this, the department and College are immensely grateful. Thank you, Apryl.

Lourdes Barretto
By the time she retires in early July, Lourdes will have celebrated her 15th anniversary at SCU. The glue that holds the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department together, Lourdes has a preternatural ability to keep track of and appropriately prioritize many simultaneous requests and projects all while staying on top of the usual cyclical tasks associated with the academic year. Several chairs, faculty members and students have relied on her wisdom, skill and encyclopedic understanding of the department to make sure the complicated logistics are accounted for and addressed. But perhaps what will be remembered most by those she worked with is the care and warmth she displayed to everyone. Always welcoming and positive, Lourdes went the extra mile for everyone – and she did it with an infectious smile. She is the personification of the College’s values and what it strives to be. Thank you, Lourdes.

Sequoyah Pollard
Sequoyah joined the Military Science Program shortly before the pandemic sharply altered our operations. With patience and determination, she helped ensure our cadets and military personnel adapted to the new reality without a hiccup. As the chief communicator between the military and the different institutions sending undergraduates to our ROTC program, Sequoyah made sure rapidly-changing information made it to the right people at the right time. Doing so helped build the military’s confidence in the program’s ability to implement a high-quality hybrid program and kept our undergraduates on track to fulfill their military obligations and commission as officers this coming June. Thank you, Sequoyah.

College of Arts and Sciences Calendar