People
Barbara Krauthamer, Dean of ECAS
Mellon Grant Co-Primary Investigator
Dean Barbara Krauthamer is an eminent historian of slavery and emancipation in the 19th century American South, a devoted mentor, and an innovative leader. She became dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences in July 2023.
Dean Krauthamer has authored numerous articles, curated exhibits, and written pieces for general audiences. She is also a dedicated teacher and mentor; she received the Lorraine A. Williams award from the Association of Black Women Historians in recognition of her scholarship and efforts to create opportunities for Black women in higher education. Krauthamer also has a long record of academic service on and off campus. She is currently one of the Organization of American Historians’ Distinguished Lecturers and serves on the Southern Historical Association’s Committee on Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
Badia Ahad, Dean of Oxford
Mellon Grant Co-Primary Investigator
Badia Ahad is dean of Oxford College of Emory University. As dean, she serves as chief academic and administrative officer, overseeing Emory’s Oxford campus.
Dean Ahad’s teaching and research intersects African American studies and positive psychology to examine how concepts like well-being, resilience, and thriving are represented in African American cultural, social, and political life. She has published numerous articles and essays and is the author of Freud Upside Down: African American Literature and Psychoanalytic Literature (2010) and Afro-Nostalgia: Feeling Good in Contemporary Black Culture (2021).
Peter Höyng, PhD
Mellon Grant Co-Faculty Director
Being a professor of German as a foreign language, German literature, and culture, issues of translation have become second nature to me. And I view the Mellon Grant for Pathways in the Humanities primarily about translation: this time we as professors in the humanities deliberately translate our expertise, work, and teaching to students, alumni, parents, and future employers. Moreover, we also teach and help our students to learn to translate what they have learned in the many humanistic courses and disciplines: analyze and synthesize complex historical texts, artistic productions, and phenomena, and communicate these effectively by placing them within larger contexts.
Tasha Dobbin-Bennett, PhD
Mellon Grant Co-Faculty Director
As a historian of visual arts in the ancient Mediterranean world, I always look forward to partnering with my students to contextualize their Humanistic education within the demands of the professional realm. At the University level, the Mellon Foundation’s funding for our Humanities Pathways initiative has allowed us the ability to help support our faculty and students translate what they are teaching and learning in their coursework to professional and research fields after graduation.
I am excited to be a part of this Grant, which offers faculty an opportunity to intentionally and thoughtfully showcase the competencies that they teach our students within the depth and breadth of Emory College and Oxford College Humanistic courses.
Dominique Thiers-Schmidt
Assistant Director
I am very enthusiastic about my involvement with the Mellon Grant to promote the value of the humanities. The power of a humanities education to enhance critical thinking and communication skills to compete successfully in every part of the economy cannot be understated. In addition, a humanities education provides a broad cultural and historical context that empowers people to participate successfully in diverse teams on a domestic and international level.
