New CHaSS Associate Dean for Research: USU Poised to Continue Impact in Humanities, Social Sciences

LOGAN — On July 1, 2022, Julia M. Gossard began her tenure as the new associate dean for research in USU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

An associate professor of history, Gossard is well-versed in quantitative and qualitative research methods and is the recipient of competitive awards from major institutions, including the American Historical Society and the Mellon Foundation.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in research at Utah State University. USU recently earned the R1 Classification from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which is a testament to our faculty and graduate students’ research activities and products,” Gossard said. “With this new ‘R1’ status, our stellar faculty and graduate students will be even more competitive as they apply for major national and international research grant and fellowship awards.”

Gossard looks forward to working with faculty to identify grant programs to support their research and plans to meet regularly to review goals, go over draft proposals and offer advice, especially as people look for ways to reinvigorate their work coming out of COVID restrictions.

“The CHaSS faculty has been both creative and resilient over the past two years, pivoting their research plans while sagely navigating multiple modalities of teaching,” Gossard added, explaining that she is eager to help faculty branch out. “I am excited to see proposals from our faculty to attend professional conferences, meetings, and workshops where they can share this hard work with their professional networks. I’m also looking forward to helping faculty find collaborators across not only the college but the university to further humanities and social science research.”

Sociology Professor Eric Reither recently stepped down after serving as the associate dean of research for five years. CHaSS is grateful for his mentorship to faculty members and excited to see Gossard bring her own unique set of skills to the position.

A known researcher in her field and a distinguished associate professor of honors education, Gossard has a broad teaching portfolio including specialties in gender, family, sexuality and childhood; the American, French and Haitian Revolutions; and historical research methods and theory. Combined with her award-winning publications, Gossard’s work as an educator and researcher means she is poised to help CHaSS faculty earn increased recognition and support for their achievements.

“I’m eager to support faculty through the process of applying to and receiving prestigious external research grants and awards from organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science Research Council, and the Guggenheim Foundation, to name a few,” Gossard said.

For more information, please visit a new website dedicated to celebrating faculty and student research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

A cornerstone of Utah State University, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences brings together faculty members engaged in original research and creative activities to teach and mentor students who aspire to be leaders in their professions and communities. Degrees in humanities and social sciences cultivate highly adaptable professional skills in students through teaching effective communication, research, data analysis, and creative problem-solving.