Clarence Lang has been name dean of the College of the Liberal Arts at Pennsylvania State University. He will assume his new duties on July 1, 2019.
Currently, Dr. Lang serves as the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, where he’s been a faculty member since 2011. He is the Dean’s Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the department of African and African-American studies and a professor of American studies. He also currently serves as the acting director of graduate studies in American studies, president of the Black Faculty and Staff Council, a McNair Scholars mentor, and a member of the Langston Hughes Visiting Professor Committee and Bill Tuttle Distinguished Lecture in American Studies Committee. Before coming to the Univerity of Kansas, he served as a faculty member in the departments of history and African-American studies at the University of Illinois.
Throughout his career at the University of Kansas, Dr. Lang has served in a variety of roles including chair of his department, interim director of the Hall Center for Humanities, senior administrative fellow in the Office of the Provost, and co-chair of the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group. As an academic, his research focuses on Black social movements in the 20th century United States, African-American labor and working-class history, and Black communities in the urban Midwest.
“Dr. Lang is both a distinguished scholar and a committed leader in higher education,” said Penn State Provost Nick Jones. “We are very excited that he is joining Penn State, and will continue to elevate our College of the Liberal Arts to new levels of pre-eminence by driving national leadership in its academic departments, expanding the impacts of its interdisciplinary centers and institutes, and ensuring that our students have unparalleled educational experiences.”
Dr. Lang holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in history from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois.
