Colgate Announces Faculty Promotions and Endowed Chair Appointments Contributing Writer Thu, 05/16/2024 - 11:16 During its spring meetings, the Colgate University Board of Trustees approved resolutions regarding faculty promotions to associate professor with continuous tenure and to full professor, as well as appointments to named chairs — all of which will take effect July 1, 2024. “The accomplishments of our colleagues are many and varied,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “Together, they have made significant contributions to our academic curriculum and intellectual community, as well as to their respective scholarly communities. Their promotions are well-deserved.” Promotions to Associate Professor with Continuous Tenure Ynesse Abdul-Malak, Sociology AAS, Regents College; BS, MPH, American University of Beirut; MA, PhD, Syracuse University Ynesse Abdul-Malak served as a visiting assistant professor at Colgate in 2018–19 before joining the tenure stream in 2019. Her research centers around understanding how social structures impact the aging processes of individuals throughout one’s life — with a special focus on U.S. Caribbean immigrants. Abdul-Malak’s co-authored book, Grandparenting Children with Disabilities (Springer Publishing), was published in 2020. Her work has also appeared in several journals including the Journal of Elder Policy, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and Innovation of Aging. Abdul-Malak teaches courses on race, aging, gender, immigration, medical sociology, and research methodology. On campus, she has served as an elected member of the ALANA Affairs Committee and as a member of the Faculty Affirmative Action Oversight Committee and Fulbright Committee. Robert Davis, Mathematics BA, Susquehanna University; MA, PhD, University of Kentucky Robert Davis joined the Colgate faculty in 2020 following visiting assistant professor positions at both Michigan State University and Harvey Mudd College. His research focuses on polytypes and their uses within and beyond mathematics. Davis teaches courses such as Calculus III, Combinatorial Problem Solving, and Linear Algebra. His work has appeared in many journals including Discrete Applied Mathematics, Advances in Applied Mathematics, and The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. He has also served as a referee for many journals. His service to the University includes serving as department liaison to Information Technology Services and as a member of the Curriculum Committee, Council for Faculty Development, and the Research Council. Ryan Hall, Native American Studies and History BA, University of Oklahoma; MA, MPhil, PhD, Yale University Ryan Hall joined the Colgate faculty in 2019 after teaching at the University of Toronto and Northern Arizona University. He is a historian of the North American West with a focus on Native American and borderlands history. Hall’s book, Beneath the Backbone of the World: Blackfoot People and the North American Borderlands, 1720-1877, was a finalist for the 2021 Spur Award for Best Historical Nonfiction Book. His articles have appeared in journals such as The Western Historical Quarterly, The Journal of the Civil War Era, and The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. Hall’s courses include The American West, Native American History, and Global Indigenous History. His university service includes membership on the Fulbright and Udall Fellowship Committees. Promotions to Full Professor Claire Baldwin, German BA, MA, Stanford University; MA, PhD, Yale University Claire Baldwin joined the German faculty in 2000. Before coming to Colgate, she served as assistant professor in the Germanic Languages and Literatures Department at Washington University. Her specialties include 18th-century literature and culture, contemporary literature and culture, Jewish German literature, gender studies, and narrative theory. Baldwin teaches a variety of courses, including first- and second-year German, Introduction to German Literature, seminars on Goethe, Challenges of Modernity, Core Distinction, and first-year seminars on the Berlin Wall and on Old Worlds, New Worlds. In addition to serving as department chair and university professor for Core 152, she has directed the Freiburg Study Group several times since 2003. Baldwin’s work has appeared in publications such as Transnational German Studies; Performing Knowledge, 1750-1850; Religion, Reason, and Culture in the Age of Goethe; and Women in German Yearbook. Baldwin is a past recipient of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honorary Society Professor of the Year Award. Jeff Bary, Physics and Astronomy Emory and Henry College; PhD, Vanderbilt University Jeff Bary came to Colgate in 2008 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2014. His expertise in infrared and optical spectroscopy of young sun-like stars is applied to a wide range of astronomical research projects. Two of Bary’s active research projects are the effects of large star spots on early evolution of low-mass stars and understanding accretion processes in substellar and planetary mass regime. He has published in leading journals such as Nature, The Astrophysical Journal, The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and Astronomy and Astrophysics. A subset of the papers include Colgate student coauthors. Bary teaches a number of courses in physics and astronomy including Solar System Astronomy, Intermediate Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Astronomical Techniques, as well as a Core Sciences course on Saving the Appearances: Galileo, the Church, and the Scientific Endeavor, and a Core Communities course on Appalachia. He has contributed broadly to astronomy education through his contributions to At Play in the Cosmos: The Videogame. He has directed an extended study on In the Footsteps of Galileo. He is presently the chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and he has also served as a faculty co-director of a residential commons and as the University Professor for First-Year Seminars, Global Engagements, and Core Distinction. He presently holds the Sweet Family Chair. Jonathan Levine, Physics and Astronomy BA, Cornell University; BA, MA, Oxford University; PhD, University of California, Berkeley Jonathan Levine came to Colgate in 2009 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2016. His research interests are centered on the physics of the planets, planetary materials, and interactions between the Earth and its environment in space. He is the deputy principal investigator of a team developing a novel resonance ionization mass spectrometer for in situ dating of extraterrestrial samples. Their instrument has been selected to fly to the moon in 2027. He has published in leading journals including Earth Science Systems and Society, Planetary Science Journal, Groundwater, Earth and Space Science, and Planetary and Space Science. A subset of the papers include Colgate student coauthors. Levine teaches a number of courses in physics and astronomy including Solar System Astronomy, Introduction to Mechanics, and Planetary Science, as well as a Core Sciences course on The Air Up There. Jonathan is presently the faculty director of the Benton Scholars Program, directs the astrogeophysics major, and has chaired the National Fellowships and Scholarships Committee. William Meyer, Geography BA, Williams College; PhD, Clark University William Meyer first came to Colgate as the A. Lindsay O’Connor Visiting Associate Professor of American institutions and then served as a visiting lecturer and visiting associate professor before joining the tenure stream in 2012. His specialties include environmental change, hazards and resources, and environmental history. Meyer’s service to the University includes department chairmanship and membership on several committees including the Academic Affairs Board, the Library Advisory Committee, Petitions Committee, the Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute Executive Advisory Committee, and the Environmental Studies Advisory Committee. He also served as faculty secretary at faculty meetings for four years. His monograph The Great Murdering-Heir Case: A Biography of Riggs v. Palmer is forthcoming from the State University of New York Press. His articles have appeared in several journals including Urban Geography, Geographical Review, New York History, New England Quarterly, and The Professional Geographer. Mary Simonson, Women’s Studies and Film and Media Studies BA, Rutgers University; MA, PhD, University of Virginia Mary Simonson first came to Colgate in 2008 as a lecturer in women’s studies and film and media studies. She joined the tenure stream in 2011. Simonson is the inaugural Daniel C. Benton ’80 Endowed Chair of Arts, Creativity, and Innovation. Her specialties include American cinema, American popular entertainment, film music, and 19th- and 20th-century opera and dance. Among the many courses she teaches are Introduction to Women’s Studies and Introduction to Film and Media Studies, Introduction to Performance Studies, Female Filmmakers and Feminist Films, and World Cinema. Her work has appeared in publications such as American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Journal of the American Musicological Society, and Leading the Way: Young Women’s Activism for Social Change. Simonson is president of the New York State-Saint Lawrence Chapter of the American Musicological Society. On campus, she has served as co-director of the Brown Commons, chair of the Colgate Arts Council, and director of the Film and Media Studies Program. Martin Wong, Earth and Environmental Geosciences BA, Williams College; PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara Martin Wong came to Colgate in 2007 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2012. He studies extensional tectonics and rifting, metamorphic core complex formation, 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology and thermochronology, application of thermochronology to tectonic problems, and the geology and tectonics of the western United States and northwestern Mexico. He has published in leading journals including Geology, Tectonics, Geosphere, Lithosphere, Geological Society of America Bulletin, and Tectonophysics. A subset of the papers include Colgate student coauthors. Martin teaches geology courses including Evolution of the Planet Earth, Environmental Geology, Tectonics and Earth Structure, Structural Geology, and Tectonics, as well as a First-Year Seminar course on Geology Outdoors. He has directed the spring semester Australia Study Group. Martin serves on the Faculty Affairs Committee and the Committee on Promotion and Tenure. He has previously served as the associate dean of the faculty for global and local initiatives, a member of the Emergency Operations Center, a member of the Health Analytics Team, and chair of the geology department. Appointments to Named Chairs April Baptiste, Environmental Studies and Africana and Latin American Studies Inaugural Leary Family Chair in Environmental Studies Established in 2022 by Nora Gleason Leary ’82 and her husband Robert G. Leary, this new endowed chair recognizes teaching excellence and scholarly achievements in the study of the environment and sustainability. April Baptiste joined the Colgate faculty in 2009. She previously served as a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the African American Studies Department and earned a Certificate in Latin American Studies from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Baptiste’s scholarly focus is environmental movements in the Caribbean, and she has published work examining the relationship between environmental attitudes and concerns toward oil and gas drilling in Trinidad as well as the relationship between environmental justice and the siting of aluminum smelters within the same context. Her co-authored book, Revitalizing Urban Waterways: Streams of Environmental Justice, appeared in 2018. Baptiste’s current project explores the intersection of environmental psychological variables and environmental justice issues within the region, as she links knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors to climate change in the Caribbean. Baptiste teaches courses in environmental justice, community-based perspectives on social issues, and Caribbean environments. She has served as the co-director of the Dart Colgrove Commons and is currently the associate dean of the faculty for global and local initiatives. Nina Moore, Political Science Inaugural William L. Boyle, Jr. ’55 Endowed Chair in Political Science This new chair was created to “recognize and support members of the Department of Political Science, whose contributions enrich the understanding of American government and politics, providing insight into the institutions, processes, ethical commitments, and events which influence our democratic systems.” Chairholders of this new chair are appointed for five-year terms. Nina Moore has been a member of the political science faculty at Colgate since 1998 and currently serves as director of the Forum on Race and Public Policy within Colgate’s Center for Freedom and Western Civilization. Moore’s teaching and research focus on the intersection of racial politics, institutional process, Supreme Court race jurisprudence, and criminal justice politics and policy. She is working on a manuscript titled Toeing the Line: The U.S. Supreme Court and Affirmative Action; her earlier books are The Political Roots of Racial Tracking in American Criminal Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Governing Race: Policy, Process and the Politics of Race (Praeger Publishing, 2000). Moore is a member of the editorial board of the Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs and is currently serving a four-year term as a governor-appointed commissioner on the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (CJC). She previously served a four-term as a gubernatorial appointee to the CJC and a three-year term as a New York State Senate appointee of the Advisory Council on Underage Alcohol Consumption and Substance Abuse. At Colgate, she has served as chair of the Colgate Faculty Affairs Council, treasurer of the Colgate AAUP Chapter, and vice chair of the Faculty Diversity Council. Kezia Page, English and Africana and Latin American Studies John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chair The chair was established by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1981. Since its creation, it has been awarded to a prominent faculty member in Colgate’s Africana and Latin American Studies Program. Kezia Page joined the tenure-stream faculty at Colgate in 2003. Her work has been published in the premier journals in her field including Callalou, Small Axe, Journal of West Indian Literature, and Anthurium. Her first book, Transnational Negotiations in Caribbean Diasporic Literature: Remitting the Text, was published in Routledge’s prestigious Research in Postcolonial Literatures series; her second book, Inside Tenement Time: Suss, Spirit, and Surveillance, is in the final stages of completion. Her honors have included a scholar-in-residence position at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture and an NEH grant. At Colgate, Page has been an important presence in Africana and Latin American studies, where her teaching and research centers on Caribbean literature, African diaspora literatures, African American literature, and American immigrant literature. Page has also been a central figure in her home department of English, where she is recognized as an outstanding teacher and colleague. She will return to the position of director of the Africana and Latin American Studies Program in the fall.Faculty News News and Updates Faculty & Staff

Colgate Launches Lower Campus Initiative Contributing Writer Wed, 05/08/2024 - 16:02 Colgate University will mark the beginning phases of the Lower Campus Initiative under the Third-Century Plan this summer with construction and restoration projects at 66 and 70 Broad Street. Read more.Third Century Campus Life Residential Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student

Colgate Celebrates Sustainability with 13 Days of Green sliddell@colgate.edu Tue, 05/07/2024 - 13:34 Colgate University’s annual celebration of sustainability, the 13 Days of Green, kicked off on April 10 this year. The event series, organized by the Office of Sustainability and now in its 14th year, engages the campus community in educational and entertaining activities centered around environmental awareness and action. Despite the rainy weather, the kickoff festivities persisted with a vibrant celebration in the Coop Media Lounge. Attendees listened to music from the student band Children at Play while enjoying low-waste treats such as Maxwell’s ice cream with green sprinkles. (“It’s low waste because you eat the cone,” explained one sustainability intern in charge of scooping the gluten-free mint chip.) Lined up at tables around the room, various green campus organizations dedicated to sustainability and the environment offered opportunities for students to learn how they could get involved. From Athletics Sustainability Liaisons with their basketball-themed “document dunk” table showing the prevalence of paper waste, to the Colgate Community Garden with their succulent potting and decorating station, there was something for everyone interested in promoting a greener campus. Perhaps one of the most crowded tables at the event belonged to the Students for Environmental Action (SEA) with their bake sale for the oncilla, a Central and South American wildcat threatened by habitat loss and human activity. Partnering with the Colgate Baking Club, this group was able to sell more than 100 brownies and gluten-free cookies, raising $330 for The Oncilla Track conservation project. Throughout the remaining 12 days, students had the opportunity to further explore sustainability and the environment through forest meditation sessions at Chapel House, a sustainable art party with Gate After Dark, and panel discussions with experts such as Colgate artist-in-residence Jackie Sumell and environmental science and forestry PhD candidate Sarah Nahar at The Locker Room exhibition. One standout event was the green-themed day of service on April 13, during which students partnered with local organizations such as the Colgate Community Garden, Spring Farm CARES Nature Sanctuary, and Wolf Mountain Nature Center for full days of garden preparation and trail maintenance. This annual hands-on approach to environmentalism allowed volunteers to directly contribute to creating a more sustainable future for Colgate and the greater Hamilton community. The culmination of the series on April 22 was marked by the Oak Awards ceremony, honoring outstanding contributions to sustainability on campus, and an Earth Day bird walk led by Director of Sustainability John Pumilio and Assistant Director of Sustainability Julia Sparks along the many trails that wind through Colgate’s back-campus.Campus Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student sustainability The Colgate community celebrates 13 Days of Green (Photo by Alex Cooper)

Jonathan Eaton ’24 Wins 1819 Award mcwalden@colgate.edu Fri, 05/03/2024 - 18:18 Jonathan Eaton ’24 of Bethel, Conn., is the recipient of the Colgate Alumni Corporation 1819 Award, given each year to the graduating senior whose character, scholarship, and service to others best exemplify the spirit that is Colgate. “[Jon] is, by all accounts, hardworking, active, and possesses a generous and giving spirit,” President Brian W. Casey said during the announcement at Colgate’s annual awards convocation. “That is well and good. But those who exemplify the Colgate spirit must also have energy and dedication. There must be drive, empathy, and commitment to place. There must be the understanding that, in this place, we are a community. Therefore, the winner should have demonstrated leadership skills and vision; they must have passion and compassion. Our senior has all of these.” Eaton, who currently serves as president of the Student Government Association (SGA), is an Alumni Memorial Scholar, Lampert Scholar, and Presidential Ambassador with a double major in international relations and Asian studies. Among his many acts of service to the community, he has also served as a speaking center consultant, an Office of Residential Life Link, and a member of the Colgate Activities Board, Student Conduct Board, and the Ciccone Commons Council. He is a past president of the Ballroom Dancers student organization, choreographing numbers for the group’s Dancefest performances. Members of the incoming Class of 2028 may also know him as an admission tour guide. Summer research, extended study in New York City, and off-campus study in China shaped Eaton’s academic experience — his intellectual pursuits have earned him the George W. Cobb Award, a Gilman Scholarship, and Phi Beta Kappa membership. Eaton was selected based on nominations from classmates, professors, and staff members. Many of those nominations mentioned Eaton’s efforts to reform the SGA and make it more communicative and responsive to the needs of the student body. That work has included initiating a rewrite of the SGA constitution and restructuring of the organization. “One often hears from senators about how much they approve of Jon’s leadership and transparency, balance of formality and personable nature, and genuine care for the challenges students face,” read one nomination. Another nomination noted that Eaton’s leadership style brings people together and sets an example. “I have met very few students who aren’t afraid to say that they did something wrong or own up to their previous actions,” it reads. “Jon is one of those few students.” Among Eaton’s other achievements, he helped to launch a new PE course on financial literacy, and he is translating a 162-page comic from Chinese to English as part of his senior thesis. “Each of these honors, positions, and projects,” Eaton says, “enables me to contribute my perspective while deepening my understanding of the world by hearing from others. I want to give in whatever ways I can, and I see my purpose much the same as when I ran for SGA president: turning this house — our campus — into a home.”Alumni News and Updates Alumni Student International Relations Program Asian Studies Program Jonathan Eaton ’24 (Photo by Mark DiOrio)

Corey MacPherson Appointed University Chaplain jkellogg@colgate.edu Tue, 04/30/2024 - 16:46 Protestant Campus Minister Corey MacPherson has been named University chaplain for a three-year term beginning July 1. The University chaplain at Colgate oversees the daily operations, staff management, and budgetary aspects of the Office of the Chaplains and aids all students in their spiritual journeys, including those who may not identify as religious. The chaplaincy office supports 12 religious groups on campus, provides pastoral care and counseling, and leads discussions centered on religious practice and building interfaith relationships. MacPherson succeeds Rabbi Barry Baron who will complete his term as University chaplain at the end of June. “I would like to thank Rabbi Baron for his service as University chaplain,” says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “Rabbi Baron has shared wisdom, humor, and grace in his leadership of the Office of the Chaplains. He has been deeply committed to introducing new interfaith programming and helping students learn from one another.” MacPherson is the founding pastor of North Shore Church in Stony Brook, N.Y. Prior to Colgate, he served as vice president for spiritual development and church relations at Eastern Nazarene College. He has been at Colgate for nine years. This will be his second term serving in the University chaplain role. “I look forward to building on the great work Rabbi Baron has done, continuing to create new interfaith connections and opportunities to bring students together to deepen their learning and understanding,” MacPherson says. He hopes to nurture existing partnerships within the Dean of the College Division and foster new relationships with academic departments, further enriching the University’s collaborative spirit. MacPherson holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, a master of divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and a doctor of ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. He also recently earned his PhD in leadership studies from Gonzaga University where his research focused on authenticity in religious leadership. MacPherson has written numerous devotionals as well as articles on preaching and servant leadership. He was also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. This year he became an Army Reserve chaplain and will be attending officer leadership training this summer. “I am grateful to Corey MacPherson for returning to the role of University chaplain,” says McLoughlin. “I look forward to working with him and the other chaplains as we strive to support students in their religious and spiritual journeys and educate them about the world’s faith traditions.”Campus Life People News and Updates Faculty & Staff

Colgate Announces 2024–25 Commons Co-Directors Contributing Writer Fri, 04/19/2024 - 13:07 Colgate University Residential Commons will welcome new co-directors at the beginning of the 2024–25 academic year. Through the Residential Commons, first-year students enjoy a robust, engaging living-learning community from their first days on campus. They encounter co-directors and fellow commons members who form a living-learning community that respects and builds on tradition and exposes students to an intellectually rich residential experience. “I want to thank both our incoming and outgoing co-directors for their service to Colgate,” says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “The Residential Commons play a vital and dynamic role in residential life at the University, due in large part to the dedication of these individuals, who commit themselves to ensuring that our students are received into a welcoming residential and academic community on day one.” Brown Commons David McCabe, Richard J. and Joan Head Chair in philosophy, will join Laura Festine, director of university grants and sponsored research, in Brown Commons. McCabe will serve as the co-director, a position held this year by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Frank Frey, who served as the co-director of Hancock Commons during the 2021–2023 academic years. McCabe earned his BA from Williams College and his PhD from Northwestern University. He arrived at Colgate in 1994 as an assistant professor of philosophy. During his three decades on campus, he has served as chair of philosophy, director of the Lampert Institute, university professor in the Core Curriculum, and director of the Division of Arts and Humanities. In the philosophy department, he teaches courses in aesthetics, ethics, and political philosophy. His research centers on political philosophy and the ethics of political action. Ciccone Commons Senior Lecturer in French Mahadevi Ramakrishnan and Associate Dean of Admission Erin Milin will co-direct Ciccone Commons. They succeed Jessica Graybill, professor of Russian and Eurasian studies, and Carolyn Strobel-Larson, director of entrepreneurship and innovation. A 2022 recipient of the Balmuth Award, Ramakrishnan earned her BA in history at the University of Madras, India. She received her MA and doctor of arts in foreign languages and literatures from Syracuse University. She is a founding member of the Colgate Contingent Faculty Council and a member of the Core Transition Team — having taught Core 180C: Core French Caribbean.  Ramakrishnan has been an adviser to the French Club for nearly two decades. As associate dean, Milin serves as campus visit coordinator and leads the Campus Visit Team, and she manages recruitment and application review for prospective students from Alaska, New York (central N.Y. and North Country), Oregon, and Texas (Austin, Houston, San Antonio). Outside the admission office, she has served as a Living Learning Workshop facilitator and a member of the Community Reads Selection Committee. Mabel Dart Colegrove Commons Lou Kaminski, assistant dean of student conduct, will step in for Director of Outdoor Education Heidi Riley as a co-director in Mabel Dart Colegrove Commons. He will work alongside Professor of Biology Engda Hagos. Kaminski arrived at Colgate in April of 2023 from Paul Smith’s College, where he was director of student life and housing. To his work in the Dean of the College division, he brings experience in mediation, coaching and feedback, performance management, and effective management practices. Kaminski is also an ultramarathon runner. Hancock Commons Professor Beth Parks will take over for University Librarian Courtney Young in Hancock Commons, joining Lyosha Gorshkov, director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives, who joined the commons last year. Parks received her bachelor’s degree in physics with a certificate in theater and dance from Princeton University. She earned her masters and PhD in physics at the University of California at Berkeley. Since arriving at Colgate in 1997, she has taught courses across the physics curriculum, including classes on quantum mechanics and renewable energy. She has also served as a visiting professor and Fulbright scholar at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda. Parks is currently the editor of the American Journal of Physics. The Commons Spirit Ciccone Commons opened in 2015, and the University inaugurated Hancock Commons in 2016. Colegrove and Brown Commons welcomed their first students in 2017. The completion of the Residential Commons at Colgate is a key initiative within the Third-Century Plan, which foresees a fifth commons and the creation of Fox Hall as an eventual replacement for Gatehouse. “The Residential Commons, through their intellectual engagement and community-building, represent the distinctive way in which Colgate pursues residential liberal arts education,” says Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “I thank our co-directors for going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure the success of this program — and for the students who find home and community there.”Campus Life Residential Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff