Five questions with UC Santa Cruz humanities dean Tyler Stovall
By Scott Rappaport
Tyler Stovall became dean of the UC Santa Cruz Humanities Division in April of 2015. An expert in French history, he is currently president-elect of the American Historical Association, the largest professional organization in the country devoted to the study of history.
He was also recently featured in a Time magazine story titled “25 Moments That Changed America.”
Now beginning his second full academic year as dean, we sat down with Dean Stovall to discuss the state of the humanities at UC Santa Cruz and beyond.
Q. What were some of the highlights of your first year as dean of the humanities at UC Santa Cruz?
A. I have to say there were a number of highlights: The visit of William “Bro” Adams, chair of the NEH and UCSC History of Consciousness Ph.D., was definitely a landmark moment in highlighting the importance of the humanities to UCSC. The fact that we were able to acquire endowed faculty chairs in Literature, Jewish Studies, and Feminist Studies underscored the high renown in which our faculty and research are held in the broader community. Additionally, the tremendous outpouring of support for History’s Gail Project on Giving Day, illustrated the importance of undergraduate research in our division. Finally, our ability to bring in some excellent new staff, in particular our new assistant dean Adrienne Harrell, shows that people across campus view the Humanities Division as a good place to work.