With the arrival of thirty-five new faculty members this semester-five more than left the staff last year-the University continues to be on target with its five-year plan to increase the total number of faculty by 30.
This year's new faculty hires were particularly concentrated in the political science, economics, English and public policy departments, as well as in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience.
The University also hired six black faculty members, including Harry Davidson, the new director of the Duke Symphony Orchestra. Duke also lured prominent University of Pennsylvania English scholar Houston Baker and his wife, Charlotte Pierce-Baker, an associate research professor in women's studies. Both also have appointments in the African and African-American Studies Department.
William Chafe, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences said six is "high, probably double what we would ordinarily do."
George Mangun, a new faculty member and director of the Center for
The political science department, with its two new recruits, was able to continue its goal "to be reasonably broad, rather than specialized," said department chair John Aldrich. "Both [recruits] are young, dynamic, well trained in the newest directions in their fields and interesting as teaching and as research scholars."
One of the political science department's recruits, Scott De Marchi, is a standout new hire. De Marchi, who left Washington University in St. Louis, is an assistant professor and a specialist in comparative models of political problems.
De Marchi says that "everybody I know in the world lives in North Carolina," but he added that the University was also appealing because of its "more than somewhat better program." So far he says he is happy with his Duke experience and the political science department, calling it "a happy little crowd that does what I do."
Other important new hires for the University include Thomas Nechyba, a scholar in residence in the economics department who specializes in public finance. "My wife and I love this area," he said, "so when the opportunity arose...." Chafe said Nechyba, who arrived from Stanford University, "is a wonderful teacher, and very, very exciting."
Steven Asher, the newest member of the psychology department, is a specialist in children's social development. He was drawn to the University for its "tremendous strength in the areas of developmental psychology and clinical psychology," he said. Asher, who arrived from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, added that after acting as a visiting professor at the University last year, "I was very impressed with students' abilities to handle challenging material and their genuine enthusiasm.... It was a great experience for me."
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