Welcoming Our New Faculty - September 2023 Newsletter

Faculty Expansion Continues

Brian T. Edwards Dean for the School of Liberal Arts

Brian T. Edwards, Dean and Professor

Dear School of Liberal Arts Community,

Now that classes are launched and the fall semester is underway, I want to welcome you to a new academic year and share some of the exciting developments across the School of Liberal Arts. As I begin my sixth year at Tulane—and my second term as dean—one of our most notable achievements has been the growth of our world-class faculty.

In the past five years, we have hired 83 tenure-line and professor of practice faculty—the permanent faculty who make meaningful discoveries in their fields and who give Tulane students an educational experience that has lifelong impact.

We have professors joining us from some of the most eminent universities around the nation and abroad, drawn by a sense of excitement and our strategy for leadership. Our Political Science department alone welcomes four new tenure-track faculty (one jointly appointed in the Murphy Institute). The English and Spanish & Portuguese departments joined forces to recruit Zorimar Rivera Montes, our first faculty member in Latinx literature and culture.

Meanwhile, the Economics department collaborated with our Environmental Studies program to hire Felipe Gómez Trejos, our inaugural environmental economist. We also hired our first two full-time faculty in American Sign Language—an area of explosive growth and student interest.

Read the full welcome message from Dean Edwards.


Tap Headshot for Bio

Peter Kunze, Tulane University

Peter Kunze   
Assistant Professor   
Communication

Muira N. McCammon, Tulane University

Muira N. McCammon   
Assistant Professor   
Communication

Watufani Poe, Tulane University

Watufani Poe   
Assistant Professor   
Communication

Danielle Zalcman, Tulane University

Daniella Zalcman   
Professor of Practice   
Communication

Jolene Pinder, Tulane University

Jolene Pinder   
Professor of Practice   
Communication / SLAM

Felipe Alberto Gomez Trejos, Tulane University

Felipe Gómez Trejos   
Assistant Professor   
Economics / Environmental Studies

Zorimar Rivera Montes, Tulane University

Zorimar Rivera Montes   
Assistant Professor   
English / Spanish & Portuguese

Chelsea Stieber, Tulane University

Chelsea Stieber   
Associate Professor   
French & Italian

Shennette Garrett-Scott, Tulane University

Shennette Garrett-Scott   
Associate Professor   
History / Africana Studies

Xiaoyue Li, Tulane University

Xiaoyue Li   
Assistant Professor   
History / MENA

Denise Crochet, Tulane University

Denise Crochet   
Professor of Practice   
Linguistics

Mario Ivan Juarez Garcia, Tulane University

Mario Juarez-Garcia    
Assistant Professor   
Philosophy / Murphy Institute

Lucia Schwarz, Tulane University

Lucia Schwarz   
Assistant Professor   
Philosophy / Murphy Institute

Allison N. Grossman, Tulane University

Allison N. Grossman   
Assistant Professor   
Political Science

Stan N. Oklobdzijar, Tulane University

Stan N. Oklobdzija   
Assistant Professor   
Political Science / Murphy Institute

Emily Rains, Tulane University

Emily Rains   
Assistant Professor   
Political Science

Rachel J. Schoner, Tulane University

Rachel J. Schoner   
Assistant Professor   
Political Science

Marcus Coleman, Tulane University

Marcus Coleman   
Professor of Practice   
SLAM / Economics


Faculty in the field: Summer research

School of Liberal Arts faculty mentored students across the globe this summer, in activities ranging from excavating ancient Greek ruins to performing operas in Italy.

Tulane Classical Studies Professor Emilia Oddo with students

Emilia Oddo   
Crete, Greece

Classical Studies Professor Emilia Oddo helmed a summer program in Crete, training undergraduate and graduate students in ceramic analysis and archival research as part of the Knossos Legacy and Sustainable Archaeology Project.   
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Amy Pfrimmer   
Urbania, Italy

Amy Pfrimmer, Associate Professor of Music & Lillian Gerson Watsky Professor in Voice, served as an Artist Faculty member at the FIO Italia Summer Festival, where she taught and collaborated on stage with 5 Tulane students and international emerging performers and colleagues.   
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Chris Rodning 
North Carolina, U.S.

Anthropology Professor Chris Rodning was joined by 2 students at the Berry site in the Catawba River Valley of North Carolina on an archeological dig to uncover the interactions between Native American groups and early Spanish colonists.   
Read More


Featured Event: An Evening with Walter Isaacson & Michael Lewis

Join Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values Walter Isaacson and esteemed American author and financial journalist Michael Lewis for a conversation about their respective new works: Elon Musk (released this week!) and Going Infinite. Books will be available for purchase with signing opportunities to follow the talk. Tickets Required

30 pm. McAlister Auditorium


Other Can’t Miss Events: Learn more about all upcoming SLA events, including the first Black Studies Book CLub of the year, the Carole Barnette Boudreaux '65 Great Writers Series, upcoming concerts, and more to add to your calendar!


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Tulane University School of Liberal Arts
Tulane School of Liberal Arts

102 Newcomb Hall • New Orleans, LA 70118 
liberalarts.tulane.edu