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AROUND THE QUADS

Dirks Named Arts & Sciences V.P.

By Alex Sachare ’71

Nicholas Dirks PHOTO: SHAWN CHOY ’03

Nicholas Dirks, Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology and History and chair of the anthropology department, is the new vice president for Arts and Sciences, effective September 1. He succeeded Ira Katznelson ’66, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, who held the post on an interim basis for the past year following the resignation of David Cohen. Katznelson has resumed his faculty position.

Dirks, whose areas of expertise include South Asian history and British colonial history, came to Columbia in 1997 from Michigan, where he founded the interdepartmental program in anthropology and history and directed the Center for South and South East Asian Studies. From l978–87, he taught at Cal Tech. In 2002, he was honored by a committee of College students with the Lionel Trilling [’25] Award, which recognizes an outstanding book published by a Columbia faculty member, for Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India.

“Nick is a highly distinguished scholar, dedicated to intellectual life within academia and in public affairs, internationalist in scope and embracing of diverse perspectives,” President Lee C. Bollinger said in announcing the appointment. “He is eager to take on the serious and complex responsibilities of this distinctive role in the academic world.”

The vice president for Arts and Sciences is responsible for overseeing 29 departments of instruction in the humanities and physical and social sciences, and the faculty of the College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of the Arts, Continuing Education, International and Public Affairs and General Studies.

“The Arts and Sciences are at a critical juncture,” Dirks said. “As we move forward, I hope to work with the administration to address a range of issues affecting the intellectual environment, pedagogical resources and quality of life for faculty. Building on my background in and commitment to interdisciplinarity and internationalization, I look forward to working with the faculty to make the Arts and Sciences more diverse, vital and innovative in the years ahead.”

Dirks received his bachelor’s in 1972 from Wesleyan and his master’s (1974) and doctorate (1981) from Chicago. A former Guggenheim Fellow, MacArthur Fellow and Fulbright Scholar, he is completing a manuscript about Britain and the imperial conquest of India, tentatively titled The Scandal of Empire.

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