New Department Introduced
March 17, 2006
The new College phone directory that recently landed on the desks of faculty and staff across campus contains an interesting entry embedded among all the variant names and numbers. On page 22 of the aqua-hued booklet, somewhere between headings for Servant-Leadership and the Student Government Association, is the debut listing for the College’s newest department: Sociology and Anthropology.
“The Sociology major is relatively new and has shown a good deal of growth already,” said Dr. Jay Simmons, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean. “This is an area that we believe presents a lot of opportunities for us.”
According to Dr. Simmons, the catalyst for forming the new department stemmed from the announced resignation of Human Services Chair Anton Flores. His pending departure left administrators pondering which direction to take.
“After looking at our options, we thought it made more sense to build on the strength that we already possessed in Frank and Susan,” he said.
Dr. Simmons’ reference is to Dr. Frank O’Connor and Dr. Susan Cody, current faculty members who will form the core of the new department. Dr. O’Connor will serve as Chair, and a search is now under way for a third member to join the team.
And though the arrival of the new department signals the end of Human Services, Dr. Simmons added, “Students who graduate in Sociology or Anthropology will have the same eligibility for admission to M.S.W. (Master of Social Work) programs that our current Human Services majors have.
“Plus, it fits very nicely into interdisciplinary opportunities. For example, it’s not at all uncommon for institutions like ours to see Religion students take a Sociology minor, or vice versa.”
Currently, the new department offers only a major and minor in Sociology. It is hoped that with the addition of another sociologist or anthropologist, a minor can be offered in Anthropology this fall.
“This will help us to better prepare our students for options after they leave here in terms of careers and graduate opportunities,” Dr. Simmons said.
