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Dear Colleagues,
It’s great to see the campus returning to its animated tempo this week. We have several events that capture the true breadth and spirit of our university:
I hope you mark your calendar to participate and encourage your colleagues and students to do the same.
CHSS Restructuring Update As you recall, in December, CHSS Department chairs and directors stepped forward to lead the design of our college restructuring. This past Friday, we held a productive design session between department leadership and the Dean’s Office. We launched the work in two parallel tracks, joining for check-ins throughout the afternoon.
I am deeply grateful for the time, effort, and constructive spirit everyone brought to the table. We have made significant progress, though a few questions remain open. These conversations will continue at department meetings, and I will check in with everyone later this week in preparation for our college meeting next week.
Departmental Transition: Social Work and Child Advocacy (SWCA) As announced earlier this morning by Dean Werner-Wilson and I, in parallel with our restructuring sessions, we have continued a dialogue regarding the best long-term affiliation for Social Work and Child Advocacy. After evaluating the impact on both colleges and consulting with the department and Dean Werner-Wilson, we have decided that now is the opportune time for a strategic alignment.
Effective July 1st, SWCA will move to the College of Community Health (CCHL). While we will miss their presence in CHSS, this move aligns their clinical and community-focused mission with CCHL’s growing health portfolio, positioning them for significant future growth.
Dean Search: Your Input Needed Last week, we met with the search committee for the next CHSS Dean. The Search Committee and WittKieffer team invite your feedback to help shape the leadership profile for this search. Your input will guide the development of the public profile used to attract and evaluate candidates. We look forward to your insights as we seek the future leadership of our college. Share your feedback here
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Centering Student Voices Last fall, we invited students to apply for the new CHSS Student Advisory Board. The response was overwhelming: 80 students applied for 40 positions. This level of interest is a testament to our students' desire to be co-creators of their education. I look forward to our first meeting this Wednesday. I foresee the board as a channel for all of us to hear from students and engage them on important topics. Their voices will never be “small voices”.
With my best regards,
Fatma
| | Sonia Sanchez, Photo credit: Marion Ettlinger | | |
Markets and the Republic: The Political Economy of American Democracy
The relationship between American democracy and capitalism is complex – ranging from antagonistic to symbiotic. Tracing this relationship from the founding era through major economic transformations, social movements, and political reforms, this lecture examines how markets have both supported and strained democratic ideals of equality, liberty, and self-government. The lecture will consider pivotal debates over regulation, labor, innovation, and inequality, highlighting moments when democratic institutions reshaped capitalism – and when economic power challenged democratic accountability. Participants will be invited to reflect on what this evolving relationship means for the future of democratic governance in the United States.
Date: Monday, February 2, 6 - 7:30 p.m., Presentation Hall
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Psychology Lab Open House
The event is open to undergraduate and graduate students at Montclair and Bloomfield, and it gives students the opportunity to obtain more information about our labs/clinics and explore what they actually do. This is also a great opportunity to see which labs/clinics they may want to work with and which are hiring additional research assistants. Share with your students!
Date: Wednesday, February 11, from 12:00-3:00 p.m.
Students can register in Handshake
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4th Annual Legislative Breakfast Addressing Human Trafficking in New Jersey: Law, Policy, and Practice
Hosted by the Global Center on Human Trafficking, the Legislative Breakfast unites policymakers, advocates, survivor leaders, and community stakeholders to drive meaningful dialogue and action on human trafficking law, policy and practice. This year’s theme, “Human Trafficking at the Intersection of Sports” highlights the urgent issues hidden behind the spectacle of global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup. From labor exploitation in stadium construction and hospitality to increased sex trafficking during major tournaments, the convergence of sports and trafficking demands both urgent attention and policy-driven solutions.
Date: Friday, February 20, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., University Hall 7th Floor
Register to Attend
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This event is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students seeking jobs and internships in: Counseling, Child Advocacy, Justice Studies, Social Work, Political Science, Psychology and so much more!
Date: Tuesday, February 24, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m
Share with your students!
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Faculty Upskilling with Coursera
This past summer, the university partnered with Coursera to provide supplemental learning resources for our courses. As part of this agreement, Coursera has allocated a limited number of licenses for faculty to access their full catalog for professional development, referred to as “faculty upskilling.”
This is a great opportunity to explore topics such as AI, project management, data analytics and visualization, and more. If you’d like access to this extensive catalog for your own learning, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/xDofPhrXhQqtp2u2A.
Licenses are limited, so we encourage you to apply soon!
| | Daniela Peterka-Benton (Justice Studies) and Bond Benton (Strategic Communication) are quoted in this New York Times article about the resurgence of the “R-word” on social media and across the political right. | | |
To Cristina Latino (Coccia Institute, Humanities and Social Sciences) and the Amici Club, for being selected as the recipient of the highly competitive NIAF grant for the third consecutive year. This grant allows for Italian American student organizations to curate educational programs, of which the Amici Club has previously organized a guided walking tour of the Italian American Museum/Little Italy in NYC.
To Arnaud Kurze (Justice Studies), who was interviewed by David Cooper, host of “The Last Show,” on his recently published research article on "Comparative Insights on Social Media as an Atrocity Prevention Tool: Policy Implications."
To Prudence Jones (Classics and General Humanities), who was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States for 2026–2027.
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Join an AI Reading List
AJ Kelton is curating a living document of articles on AI in the humanities, social sciences, and/or pedagogy. The document is searchable and each entry includes a citation and a 150-word AI-generated synopsis, organized by topic headings.
If you’d like access to view the document, please complete this form.
Those with access receive a brief update on Fridays listing new articles added that week, including the citation and a 50-word summary.
CHSS Resource Guide
This guide is designed to support our faculty, instructors, and staff by providing quick access to the tools, policies, and information you need to carry out your work effectively. Inside, you’ll find resources on office operations, administrative processes, technology support, and campus services all in one place. Whether you’re new or a tenured colleague, this guide will help you throughout the academic year. If you have a question and cannot find the answer in this guide, or don’t know who to contact, start with the Administrative Services Team.
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