Tyrus Miller has been appointed to a second five-year term as dean of the School of Humanities, beginning July 1, 2023.
“This reappointment decision follows an extensive review, which included materials submitted by Dean Miller and feedback from faculty, staff, senior administrators, deans and community colleagues,” says Hal Stern, UCI provost and executive vice chancellor. “Dean Miller is lauded for strong staff engagement and a transparent communication style, which has been especially important during the pandemic. I am grateful to the committee and its chair, Professor David Tse-Chien Pan, for their efforts throughout the review process.”
During Dean Miller’s first term, the School saw a reinvigoration of the humanities both on and off campus, which brought together new voices and communities. While humanities enrollments have declined at many universities nationwide, since 2018, the School has added hundreds of majors and launched a Ph.D. program in Film and Media Studies. During his tenure, the School recruited diverse junior faculty across disciplines, including multi-department cluster hires in Latinx/Mexican/Latin American studies and in support of the Black Thriving Initiative. The School also increased opportunities for experiential learning and professional enhancement for students beyond the classroom, including internships, research opportunities, study abroad and community-engaged work.
Dean Miller’s commitment to diversifying funding sources for the School has brought in significant support for research, instruction, student experience and public impact programs. Major gifts include the $5.4 million Steckler Fund to support learning opportunities for students in art history and visual studies as well as funding from the Korea Foundation, the Academy of Korean Studies, the Department of Education and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The School also established endowed chairs and endowed graduate fellowships.
Launched in its current form under Dean Miller’s leadership, the UCI Humanities Center focuses on community engagement and interdisciplinary research, and fosters collaborations within the School, across campus and in local communities. The Center’s focus on research development has doubled annual external support for faculty and students.
An internationally recognized scholar of 20th century literature, art and critical theory, Dean Miller is actively engaged in research and publication in his field of modernist studies. In addition to his roles at UCI, Dean Miller serves on a scientific advisory committee at UNESCO. In this capacity, he supports the Management of Social Transformations initiative, which aims to engage social science, policy and humanities experts to address global problems such as social inequality, climate change impact and gender inequality in education.
“We’ve been through a lot together these past five years, including many good things like the resurgence of our enrollments and the launching of new programs and research centers; but also the hardships of an unprecedented pandemic, which left nothing and none of us untouched,” reflects Dean Miller on the past five years of his tenure at the School of Humanities. “Together, all of us – faculty, staff and students – have made the School of Humanities even better: an in-demand place for our students to study and learn; a point of pride of our campus in our research, instruction and public service; and a flourishing community in which to work and thrive.”