Dear Colleagues,
As we celebrate the appointment of our own Prof. Sarah Cole as the Dean of the School of the Arts, I am equally pleased to announce that Prof. Bruno Bosteels will be appointed as Dean of Humanities starting July 1, a role in which he has served in an acting capacity over the past year with tremendous skill and distinction.
A Professor of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, and a former department chair, Bruno is a special academic leader who brings a lifelong commitment to humanistic inquiry, which is central to our dynamic understanding of human experience. As acting dean, Bruno has worked closely with faculty, students, and staff across different parts of the University to create intellectually capacious programming in response to moments of crisis, particularly in the aftermath of October 7th. He has been a steadfast supporter of our humanities departments through a key cycle of hiring, tenure, and promotion. He also has established new and important partnerships with fellow Arts and Sciences and university leaders, including school deans, divisional deans, department chairs, center and institute directors, senior academic staff, and colleagues in PPC, PTC, as well as alumni and humanities leaders outside the university. In these and other interactions, Bruno has been caring, rigorous, transparent, and thoughtful – all qualities that make him an effective and admired colleague, mentor, educator, and university leader.
Even with these responsibilities, Bruno has continued to advance the intellectual work he is known for around the world as a scholar of modern Latin American literature, culture, and politics, as well as contemporary philosophy and political theory. Just this year, he published a new book in Spanish, ¿Qué es la antifilosofia?, which investigates the tradition of modern “antiphilosophy” and the rivalry between philosophers and antiphilosophers in their pursuit of truth. In recognition of his continually fertile work, Bruno was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship to support a new writing project on the social function of literature and its role in creating the forms through which we experience reality as individuals or communities.
I want to express my deep gratitude to Bruno for agreeing to serve as Dean of Humanities during this consequential period for the humanities and higher education generally. I also want to thank Sarah Cole for her service as Dean of Humanities from January 2018 until September 2023, and all that she contributed to strengthening this vital part of the Arts and Sciences. I look forward to working closely with Bruno, and with Sarah in her new role, in the years to come.
All best,
Amy
Amy E. Hungerford
Dean and Executive Vice President
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Ruth Fulton Benedict Professor of English and Comparative Literature
