Department Head
In this newsletter, we highlight a remarkable year with new hires. We have 24 tenure-line professors and 14 full-time teaching or research professors appointed in geography. We note co-hire, joint, associate, courtesy, and other affiliations in geography’s directory for our faculty, showing the many connections geographers have throughout Penn State: www.geog.psu.edu/about/who-we-are/directory
Geographers make outstanding leaders because they understand and value varied academic cultures. The scholarly approaches in our department range from qualitative humanities to social science inquiries to physical science fieldwork to technological innovation—a mini university on two floors of Walker Building.
As a result, geography faculty are often sought to run key programs at the University. Most recently, Erica Smithwick was appointed as associate director of Penn State’s Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE). In addition, Guido Cervone serves as associate director of the Institute for CyberScience (ICS), and Alex Klippel is founding director of the university’s Center for Immersive Experiences.
We successfully propose new hires for institute programs in response to national initiatives, such as “Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems” at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Jenn Baka and Smithwick are co-hires with IEE; Josh Inwood is a co-hire with the Rock Ethics Institute; and Cervone, Klippel, and Helen Greatrex are co-hires with ICS. We won most of these appointments by competing with other University programs. That’s part of how we build a strong department—winning the funding to make great hires. We also have 13 tenure-line positions that are fully funded as geography appointments in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS).
We excel in joint hires with other departments and colleges. Greatrex and Sarah Chamberlain are joint with the Eberly College of Science; Bronwen Powell and Melissa Wright are joint with the College of the Liberal Arts. Wright also heads the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies—which geographer Lorraine Dowler headed in the past. Our faculty are also co-hires within EMS: Alan Taylor, Baka, Cervone, and Smithwick are associates in the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute.
Geographers have led important areas of the University. Denice Wardrop was founding director of the Sustainability Institute. Brent Yarnal and Greg Knight served as chairs of Faculty Senate. Knight was a vice provost. Rod Erickson was provost and then president of the University, among his many leadership positions. Rob Crane served as associate dean and interim dean of EMS, and is currently interim vice provost for Global Programs. Bill Easterling was director of IEE, then dean of EMS, and he now leads the NSF Directorate for Geosciences.
In this newsletter, we highlight a remarkable year with new hires. We have 24 tenure-line professors and 14 full-time teaching or research professors appointed in geography. We note co-hire, joint, associate, courtesy, and other affiliations in geography’s directory for our faculty, showing the many connections geographers have throughout Penn State: www.geog.psu.edu/about/who-we-are/directory