No Going Back
John Coleman, CLA dean, often says the liberal arts are “front-page news.” It’s hard to think of another time when this statement has been more relevant. Through their research and teaching, CLA faculty are confronting the toughest problems we face: systemic racism, a changing workforce, healthcare inequality, misinformation, and more.
We asked six faculty members how their work is helping us make sense of our world and how campaign gifts make it possible to meet the moment and be our best for the world.

Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, and Society Kathryn Grace builds on her own experiences and observations from time spent in poor countries and communities as she examines the ways that individual, family, or household outcomes are conditioned by place.

For Professor in Economics Mariacristina De Nardi, "success means better understanding the problems that we face as a society, why they are there, and what we can do to make things better." She explores the economic impact of life expectancy and the economics of health and household structure.

After years deeply engaged in research around work and inequality and the long history of race and capitalism, Professor of History William P. Jones is called upon often by the media for insights into current social tensions. between race and class.

Associate Professor of Psychology Richard Landers directs the TNTLAB (Testing New Technologies in Learning, Assessment, and Behavior) where he and his team conduct research and work with organizations to understand the current role and the potential of the internet and related technologies to improve work.

As one of the country’s leading experts in the study of the political representation of African American, Latino, and women’s interests in the United States, Professor of Political Science Michael Minta has pivoted to focus on how the pandemic made minority politics even more complicated.

For Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication Emily Vraga, the "digital media environment has made it even more important to understand how audiences perceive fragmented and ever-more diverse media messages," especially on a range of health topics.