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In early August, 91���� welcomed 27 new faculty members to campus through New Faculty Orientation (NFO), marking the beginning of the 2025–26 academic year.

NFO is designed to prepare faculty for teaching at 91���� while also creating opportunities for new colleagues to connect and build community. Over the course of the two-day program, participants engaged in interactive workshops, heard from campus leaders, and joined social events that introduced them to the College’s collaborative culture.

The orientation was organized by Susan Ferguson, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) and Professor of Sociology, and Caleb Elfenbein, associate dean and professor of Religious Studies, in partnership with Human Resources, administrative assistants, the CTLA, and the Dean’s Office. Together, they curated a schedule that highlighted 91����’s academic mission, campus resources, and the strong support networks available to faculty.

“New Faculty Orientation is not only about sharing information,” Ferguson noted, “but also about fostering relationships and connections that sustain faculty as they begin their teaching and scholarship at 91����.”

Timothy Lomeli, assistant professor of French, shared, “New Faculty Orientation was a great opportunity to meet all my fellow new colleagues! Although orientations are always a great source of information and support, I find that the best support is the network of people who are also new to a place. So I am really grateful we had got to meet each other before the semester started and learn about 91���� together! We can share our knowledge and help one another with our transitions to 91����.”

“I also really appreciated the panel with 91���� students. It is really helpful to learn what students expect, want, and need from faculty members, especially since many of us can be far removed from our undergraduate experiences, added Lomeli. “ I am excited to continue my career here and hope to meet as many people as possible and get to know the campus and the larger community of 91����!” 

With this cohort of 27, 91���� continues to expand its vibrant community of teacher-scholars dedicated to student learning and academic excellence. 

New Faculty Members 2025-2026

• Ali Allami, Assistant Professor of Computer Science 
• Ahmad Barhoumi, Assistant Professor of Mathematics 
• Bevin Blaber, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies 
• Sol Cátala-Valentin, Assistant Professor of the Library 
• Olga Correa, Assistant Professor of Sociology 
• Hanna Erftenbeck, Assistant Professor of Anthropology 
• Aaron Foote, Assistant Professor of Sociology 
• Joel Ginn, Psychology 
• Jesse James, Assistant Professor of Classics 
• Nathalia Justo, Assistant Professor of Political Science 
• Minseog Kim, Assistant Professor of Economics 
• Jaehyuk Lee, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Chinese and Japanese 
• Timothy Lomeli, Assistant Professor of French  
• Weiwei Luo, Assistant Professor of History 
• Sehrazat Mart, Assistant Professor of Sociology 
• Anushree Mondal, Assistant Professor of Chemistry 
• Cherry Ng, Assistant Professor of Mathematics 
• Sophia Nuñez, Assistant Professor of Spanish 
• Shawn Ong, Assistant Professor of Computer Science 
• James Palmer, Associate Professor of History 
• Vinny Paris, Instructor in Statistics 
• Marisa Trejo-Ruiz, Heath Professor in Anthropology 
• Alexander Vega, Assistant Professor of Philosophy 
• Lindsey Webb, Instructor in English 
• John “Thabiti Willis”, Kesho Scott Endowed Chair in African Diaspora Studies 
• Desmond Yengi, Assistant Professor of Chemistry 
• Lei Wang, Instructor in Chinese