Dean's Newsletter | Fall 2026

FALL 2026 NEWSLETTER

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Friends of CSSH:

As we begin a new academic year, I’m so proud of everything our faculty, students, staff, and alumni have accomplished over the past few months. From a milestone expansion of our campus network to new grants, new colleagues, and no shortage of media spotlights on the brilliant work happening across our units, this has been a summer worth celebrating. I'm delighted to share some of the highlights with you below.

Read Dean Tsai's Letter

Sarah Lageson, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Law, and students Maya Schnur and Nikki Liu worked with the Oakland-based legal aid group The Access Project through co-op. Their work and research revealed significant racial disparities in California's record-relief system—including longer custody times and lower probation rates for Black, Latino, and Asian students compared to white students—highlighting how bureaucratic and legal hurdles disproportionately burden marginalized communities seeking a "clean slate."

Read "Who gets a clean slate? Northeastern research reveals gaps in California’s expungement system"

Patricia Williams, University Distinguished Professor of Law and Humanities, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A law expert whose scholarship spans race, slavery, and AI's impact on identity and legal rights, Professor Williams is best known for her seminal essay "On Being the Object of Property" and her 1992 book Alchemy of Race and Rights. She delivered the keynote lecture "The Disembodied Revolution: Humanities, Inhumanities, and the Amputation of Reality" at the Humanities Center’s Global Fellows Symposium in September.

Read "Patricia Williams, a legal scholar, is elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences."

In her new book, The European Union's Grand Strategy, Mai'a Cross, Dean’s Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy, and Director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, argues the EU can help safeguard humanity's future by leveraging its long-term strengths in science and technology, environmental protection, and democratic security. Rather than focusing on current crises, Cross urges readers to think decades ahead, framing the EU as a key player in navigating existential threats like AI, climate change, and nuclear risk.

Read "A Northeastern professor’s ambitious vision for the EU — and humanity’s future."