National Dean Search
GerShun Avilez named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
After a University-wide search committee conducted a national search, the University of Minnesota is pleased to announce the appointment of GerShun Avilez as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective November 25, 2024. Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel T.A. Croson announced Avilez’s appointment in an email to the University of Minnesota community on July 19.
"I am excited to join CLA and the UMN family in general. I was impressed with the vibrant intellectual community, the strong commitment to collaboration, and the wide-ranging investment in community engagement," Avilez said. "I hope to build on these investments, especially by connecting the work we do with organizations and leaders off campus. I see a lot of opportunities to contribute, and, more importantly, I am excited to learn from all members of this college. It will be an honor to work with CLA students, staff, and faculty as well as the college's many alumni and supporters."
Dr. Avilez is currently Professor of English and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Maryland, College Park. He also holds Affiliate Faculty appointments in the Department of African American Studies and the Harriet Tubman Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, and is the founding director of the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities.
Dr. Avilez holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in English from Temple University, and a B.A. in English from Hendrix College. An award-winning teacher and writer, Dr. Avilez is a pre-eminent cultural studies scholar, who specializes in contemporary African American and Black Diasporic literature and visual culture. He is the author of two books: Radical Aesthetics and Modern Black Nationalism and Black Queer Freedom. He is also the co-editor of The Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1945-Present, 10th Edition. Currently, he is completing a book on art and healthcare and editing a volume on global Black cultural expression.
- Michael Rodriguez, Dean, College of Education and Human Development—search committee chair
- Christine Baeumler, Professor and Chair, Department of Art
- Brenda Child, Northrop Professor, Departments of American Studies and American Indian Studies
- Jordan Dotson, Undergraduate Student, Class of 2024, Sociology of Law, Criminology, & Justice; CLA Student Board member
- Michael Gallope, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
- Gayle Golden, Charnley Professor and Senior Lecturer, School of Journalism and Mass Communications
- Ronald Greene, Chair, CLA Assembly; Professor, Communication Studies
- Nicola Imbracsio, Assistant Dean of Curriculum
- Kara Kersteter, Chief of Staff, Department of Economics
- Carmen Kurdziel, Associate Director for Student Support and Transitions
- Robert McMaster, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education; Professor of Geography
- Mandy Menke, Associate Professor of Hispanic Linguistics, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
- Herman Milligan, Alum; Acting Executive Director/Board Chair, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature
- Kathryn Pearson, Associate Professor, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Political Science
- Elizabeth Quillen, Graduate Student, History
- Alex Rothman, Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Department of Psychology
- Jasmine Kar Tang, Co-Director, Center for Writing and Minnesota Writing Project
Comments or Questions? Contact umn-clasearch@umn.edu