Farewell and Gratitude: Reflecting on Professor Nicholas Sammond's Departure from CSUS
On behalf of the entire community at the Centre for the Study of the United States, we express our deepest gratitude for Professor Nicholas Sammond’s five-year tenure as the Director. Professor Sammond’s unwavering dedication, scholarly expertise, and steady leadership have truly shaped the center's growth and success during his tenure.
Under Professor Sammond’s guidance, CSUS has continued to flourish as a vibrant hub of intellectual exploration and critical analysis. His passion for interdisciplinary research and commitment to fostering a collaborative environment have been invaluable in cultivating a diverse range of perspectives and encouraging innovative approaches to American Studies. Professor Sammond has recruited a number of highly successful Bissell-Heyd Fellows, and has cemented the Bissell-Heyd Symposium and F. Ross Johnson Colloqiuium as key events for Munk’s public engagement. He has always been a champion for bridging the gap between the social sciences and the humanities, and has worked to move CSUS to address complex social, cultural, and political issues with care and depth.
Professor Sammond encapsulates his tenure in this excerpt from the upcoming 17th edition of the Undergraduate Journal of American Studies titled “POWER”:
“During the last five years, my tenure as Director of the Centre for the Study of the United States, we have lived through and been a part of tumultuous events, movements, and crises. We have, together, weathered a global pandemic and the rise of a populist neofascism that it has pulled to the surface. We have witnessed the police murder of George Floyd—and Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, and so many others—and the popular, cross-racial and cross-class uprisings that sprang up in response to that state violence. We have confronted anti-Asian hate spurred on by Donald Trump’s racist comments about China and COVID-19, which he called the “kung flu.” And we have begun to confront a climate catastrophe and a political system and infrastructure that are woefully unprepared to deal with it. In each of these cases, the Centre for the Study of the United States has been there, its faculty, staff, and students ready to engage experts on these topics, to debate about causes and solutions, and to never cease bringing our talents and our intellects to bear on those problems. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of this endeavor.” – CSUS Director, Nicholas Sammond, 2018-2023
Professor Sammond’s tenure as Director has left an indelible mark on our institution, faculty, students and staff.
Once again, thank you, Professor Nicholas Sammond, for your leadership and dedication over the past five years! We are immensely grateful for your invaluable contributions.
