Dean welcomes CHSS community back to campus at Fall Opening Meeting

Michael Broder — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 19:05:01 +0000

Dean welcomes CHSS community back to campus at Fall Opening Meeting

Author: CHSS Communications

August 29, 2022

The College of Health & Social Sciences held its annual Fall Opening Meeting on August 18 in hybrid in-person and virtual format. In-person attendees enjoyed breakfast and mingling before the meeting at Seven Hills Conference Center.

The program included remarks by Dean Alvin Alvarez and presentation of the 2022 Faculty Excellence Awards by Associate Dean John Elia. The event also included the presentation of the Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Emerita Mickey Eliason (virtually).

The dean acknowledged the difficult, uncertain times we are in and celebrated the fact that so many members of the CHSS community were together again in person after two years of virtual Fall Opening Meetings. He remarked that personal connections are what give meaning to our work and make us “more than cogs in a wheel.” The CHSS community, he said, is one that “strives for kindness, respect and decency.”

View more images from the event on Facebook

Dean Alvarez recognized the College’s newly tenured and promoted faculty members, introduced new members of the CHSS faculty and staff and announced the appointments of current members to new roles:

New faculty

Miguel Abad, Department of Child & Adolescent Development
Angela Fillingim, Department of Sociology & Sexuality Studies
Cynthia Martinez, Department of Counseling
Soheyla Mohammadigorgi, Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel Department

Read bios

New staff

Nhi Nguyen, Department of Public Health
June Parra, SOAR TRIO
Saya Santos, Student Resource Center
Saya Tanaka, School of Nursing

Appointments to new leadership roles

Kate Hamel, Assistant Dean for Faculty Development & Scholarship
Erik Rosegard, Assistant Dean for Student Success
Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, Assistant Dean for Restorative and Transformative Racial Justice
Sherria Taylor, Faculty Director, CHSS Racial Healing Circles
Juliana van Olphen, Chair, Department of Public Health
Jackson Wilson, Chair, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism
Ruth Cortez, College Business Officer