Nico Slate to Head Carnegie Mellon’s History Department
By Stefanie Johndrow
Media Inquiries- Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- 412-268-1788
Nico Slate has been selected to head Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of History, effective July 1. Slate, a professor of history, succeeds Donna Harsch, who has led the department since 2015.
“Nico will be an excellent successor to an excellent head,” said Richard Scheines, Bess Family Dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Donna Harsch strengthened the department with several strong hires. She also worked with Director of Undergraduate Studies Steven Schlossman to increase enrollments in history for five consecutive years when the national trend was down. I am very grateful for her service.
“Nico is a rare combination of a highly productive scholar and a community activist dedicated to social justice. His work on social movements is known widely, and his work taking his students into the community here and abroad is transformative. I very much look forward to working with him on the academic front, and on the diversity, equity, and inclusion front,” Scheines said.
As department head, Slate hopes to strengthen the many interdisciplinary ties between the Department of History and other units throughout the university; to contribute to the diversity and inclusion initiatives underway within Dietrich College; and to support the creativity and initiative of history faculty, graduate students and undergraduates.