Professor Randall Akee to chair the Interdepartmental Program in American Indian Studies at UCLA

A Message From Dean Hunt

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to share the news that Professor Randall Akee has agreed to chair the Interdepartmental Program in American Indian Studies for a three-year term, beginning July 1, 2020. As you know, AIS is in the process of preparing a proposal for departmentalization status, and working with the American Indian Studies Center, the program recently has brought some amazing new faculty colleagues to UCLA. A deeply engaged member of the AIS faculty for years, Randy is poised to lead the program at this important juncture in its history.

I’d like to thank all of you who weighed in over the last couple of months about AIS’s most pressing needs. You have aided me greatly in identifying Randy as the ideal colleague to chair the program as we endeavor to build on its excellence. I am also especially grateful to Professor Mishuana Goeman for her service as AIS chair over the last three years. Mishuana’s enterprising and thoughtful leadership has served AIS well and I have truly enjoyed working with her.

The COVID-19 crisis continues to challenge all of us, but I wish you the best under the circumstances and hope you share my confidence that by working together we can emerge from this moment stronger than ever.

—dhunt

Darnell M. Hunt, PhD

Dean of Social Sciences

Professor of Sociology

Professor of African American Studies

UCLA

310.825.4017

Twitter: @darnell_hunt

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