Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Friends of CSSH:
The fall 2025 semester is in full swing! Over the past few weeks, we have been welcoming new CSSH members in Boston and across the global campus network. In addition to new faculty and staff, over 950 new students have joined CSSH (674 undergraduates, 256 masters, 28 PhD students).
As unsettling policy shifts continue to affect higher ed, our work in CSSH is especially needed and meaningful: engaging with our local and global communities, fostering civil dialogue and debate, and addressing the most pressing issues facing society.
For example, in June, the Ethics Institute hosted its AIDE Summer Program. Eleven graduate students from across the country were selected to participate in the 9-week intensive program on AI and data ethics. The program explored algorithmic fairness, privacy issues, and ethical problems associated with language models. The program’s co-leaders, Katie Creel, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Computer Science, and John Basl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, supported students through a speaker series, twice-weekly seminars, and a range of professional development workshops.
In July, CSSH hosted its inaugural Bring a Kid to Work Day! Our faculty and staff brought in their younger children for a special, fun-filled day. Over 20 kids visited our various offices, enjoyed meeting Northeastern’s campus dogs, and explored the Boston campus during a scavenger hunt. It was wonderful to meet some enthusiastic future Huskies, and we hope to make this a new tradition next year!
Previously called the Summer Bridge Program, NUPlace Fellows creates a welcoming and inclusive space for first-year students to build community and meet faculty in their colleges, making the transition from high school less daunting. In August, CSSH faculty members Layla Brown, Getty Lustila, along with co-op coordinator Michaela Modica, presented on a panel facilitated by Senior Associate Dean Laura Green about the value of the humanities and social sciences in today’s rapidly change world.
New Faculty and Staff
CSSH is delighted to welcome a number of new faculty members this academic year. At a time when AI has the world’s attention, CSSH is building expertise at the intersection of technology, social sciences, and the humanities: Beatrice Magistro has joined the Department of Political Science as an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. Professor Rebekah Tromble also joined our political science faculty with a joint appointment in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
I would like to personally extend a warm welcome to all our new faculty and new staff. We are truly thrilled that you have joined CSSH!
Meanwhile, we have re-launched the CSSH Staff Advisory Council to provide guidance on enhancing staff engagement throughout the college. This year’s Council members include Diana Atoui; Julie Boudoukara; Meghan Elliott; Michael Farah; Louis Green; Najeema Holas-Huggins; James Rollins; Natalia Stone; Shannon Usher (chair), and Keanna Smigliani (co-chair).
Students and Faculty in the News
As our remarkable students and faculty continue to make headlines, I would like to mention a few featured on our website and Northeastern Global News (NGN). English alum Peter Burds ’23 tells the story of his unique path through Northeastern and the surprising ways his minors in East Asian Studies and Chinese language opened doors for him. Two of CSSH’s commencement celebration speakers are also featured on the CSSH site: Keneya Onuaguluchi, BA History, Culture, and Law ’25, spoke about how CSSH shaped her passion for criminal justice reform; and Disha Kamlesh Pansuriya, MA Econometrics and Quantitative Economics ‘25, walked through her journey to CSSH and her future role with the Public Service Commission in Montana. Zoleigh Borg, Human Services ’26, set NGN abuzz with her story about her co-op with Best Bees Company.
CSSH faculty continue to share their expertise in addressing current events across the media, from web journals to monographs. In the Philosophy and Religion Department, Professors John Basl, Kathleen Creel, Meica Danielle Magnani, Vance Ricks, and Yafeng Wang were featured in a guest post on Daily Nous. Associate Professor of Economics and International Relations Bilge Erten shared findings from her study on abortion access and increased rates of domestic violence in an NGN article. Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies Associate Professor Caleb Gayle discussed his new book, Black Moses, which tells the story of Edward McCabe, a 19th century politician who advocated for a Black state. Chair and Professor of History Gretchen Heefner gave NGN the inside scoop on what inspired her new book, Sand, Snow, and Stardust, which examines the engineering behind military bases in the most inhospitable environments.
New Research Achievements
CSSH recently launched the Policy Innovation Hub (PIH), co-directed by Daniel O’Brien, Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Criminology and Criminal Justice and Director of the Boston Area Research Initiative, and Kimberly Lucas, Professor of the Practice in Public Policy and Economic Justice. The establishment of PIH advances the Policy School’s impact by uniting the efforts of multiple established research initiatives and centers in the school. These include the Dukakis Center, the Boston Area Research Initiative, the Global Action for Policy Initiative, the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, the recently-established Plastics Center, and the Social Impact Lab. PIH will enhance the Policy School’s and the College’s capacity for applied research and community engagement.
We are excited to announce that the Global Asian Studies Program received a generous grant from the Korea Foundation, which supports the establishment of a Korean Studies professorship, the first of its kind at Northeastern. With Korea’s growing influence on the global stage, in politics and popular culture alike, this grant will enable CSSH to provide more classes and scholarships dedicated to the country and culture.
At a time when federal funding for innovative research in humanities and social sciences is contracting, I’m also proud to share that CSSH exceeded its external research funding goal for a second year in a row. See some of our featured research here.
Upcoming Events
Launched last fall, the Art, Humanities, and Technology Weeks, or AHTWeeks, continues to bring us together in meaningful ways throughout the Northeastern network. AHTWeeks topics range from activism in Boston’s Chinatown to guided gallery talks.
A Northeastern alum, Amy S. Kaufman, PhD English Literature ’06, returns to her alma matter on November 5 for a reading of her new book, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest. Retelling the classic story of Robin Hood, the book interrogates the complicated roots of a beloved character.
There are many more opportunities for us to connect as a community this semester. Please keep an eye out for the CSSH Weekly News and Events email that comes out on Mondays. I look forward to seeing you, whether online or on campus.
