New Faculty Appointments at Major Universities for Five Black Scholars

Debra J. Barksdale was appointed professor of nursing and associate dean of academic programs for the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She was a professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

Dr. Barksdale is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in nursing. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Michigan.

Michael A. Nutter, who recently completed his term as mayor of Philadelphia, has joined the faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York City. Before serving as mayor for eight years, Nutter sat on the Philadelphia City Council for nearly 15 years.

Nutter is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Theaster Gates, professor of visual arts and director of Arts & Public Life at the University of Chicago, has been given the additional duty as the director of the Place Lab. The new initiative, a joint effort of Arts & Public Life and the Harris School of Public Policy will bring together artists, policymakers, faculty, and students to design and implement new approaches to urban development.

Professor Gates holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University. He earned a second master’s degree in fine arts and religious studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Chris Swan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Tufts University in Massachusetts, is taking on new duties as an associate dean of the university’s College of Citizenship and Public Service. Dr. Swan joined the Tufts faculty in 1994.

Dr. Swan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Engda Hagos was promoted to associate professor of biology and granted tenure at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Dr. Hagos is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He holds a master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He conducted postdoctoral research at Emory University in Atlanta.