New deans of Branford, Calhoun and Morse Colleges were appointed this summer by
Yale College Dean Peter Salovey.
T H I S
Branford dean Tauss earned a B.A. in religious studies at Yale, where he was a member of
Branford College and served as a freshman counselor for the Class of 1997. He
earned an M.A. in Asian studies and comparative philosophy at the University of
Hawaii at Manoa and an M.Phil. in Chinese history at the University of
Cambridge. He is currently a doctoral candidate in politics and international
relations at USC. His research interests range from Asian security and
democratic peace theory to comparisons of Eastern and Western thought,
particularly with respect to political philosophy, ethics and aesthetics.
At the International Residential College at Parkside, Tauss was responsible for
a population of nearly 700 students and supervised a full-time assistant, a
graduate staff of five and 22 resident advisers. He previously served as
coordinator of the Faculty-in-Residence Program at the State University of New
York at Stony Brook.
“To both positions he brought his conviction that a diverse and engaging
residential environment can complement and enhance a student’s in-class education better than any single aspect of college life,” said Salovey in announcing Tauss’ appointment.
Tauss has taught philosophy to first-year students at the University of Hawaii.
At Stony Brook, he taught a student affairs course that introduced first-year
and transfer students to elements of university life. Most recently, he served
as lead instructor of USC’s educational counseling course, which is a prerequisite for students hoping to
become resident advisers.
Tauss’ leisure pursuits included snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing. He succeeds Dodie McDow, who has moved on to George Mason University.
Calhoun dean A published writer, Woodard administered a faculty of 32 adjuncts with whom she
taught creative writing at Columbia University. She also coordinated the
undergraduate creative writing program’s student groups, readings and other activities, and served as adviser to its
student-produced was also director of undergraduate studies in the Columbia
College Writing Program.
In addition to teaching poetry, prose drama and fiction, she led the
undergraduate senior honors seminar in which students produce book-length works
of fiction and literary non-fiction. In addition she worked with some 10
students on independent writing projects.
“In her various activities as a teacher, adviser and administrator, Ms. Woodard
has won the praise and respect of her students and her colleagues as someone
who seeks the success of her students in all of their pursuits,” said Salovey in announcing her appointment.
Woodard has published a number of articles and short stories in magazines and
has had her work anthologized in
“Streetlights: Tales of the Urban Black Experience” and in “Men We Cherish: African-American Women Praise the Men in Their Lives.” Her short story collection “The Silver Crescent” was published last year. She is currently at work on a novel that is loosely
drawn from her decade-long experience as a professional dancer with the Dance
Theater of Harlem.
Woodard shares her Calhoun College residence with a Shetland sheepdog named
Jimmy Dean and two cats. An avid dressage rider, she also owns a horse named
Centares. She is a fan of
“Star Trek” and a devotee of film, classical and jazz music, and opera. She succeeds Steven
Lassonde, who has been named deputy dean of the college at Brown University.
Morse dean Silverman earned a B.A. in English from Cornell University and M.A. and Ph.D.
degrees, both in American studies, from the University of Texas at Austin. His
research interests include rhetoric and its relation to a variety of issues and
topics, including socio-cultural reform; masculinity; biography and
autobiography; and the law.
As a writing instructor, Silverman has taught non-native graduate students in
Yale’s English Language Institute and adult professionals in the New Dimensions
Program at Albertus Magnus College. Among the other courses he has taught are
“American History Since 1945,” “The Rhetoric of American Paranoia” and “Obscene America: Free Speech and Censorship.”
“His ‘English 114’ students have praised his ability to challenge and encourage them at the same
time; to engage with them as a highly effective teacher of writing and as a
fellow member of the campus community,” Salovey wrote in a letter announcing the new dean.
A native of Connecticut, Silverman has studied at the University of Seville and
worked in Madrid as a translator. He is currently working on a biography of
Morris Ernst, the civil liberties attorney who successfully defended James
Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” against obscenity charges.
Silverman has played jazz with Dave Brubeck and says he is a fan of music,
movies and
“good writing of all kinds.” He moved into Morse College this summer with his wife Alba Estenoz, a native of
Spain who is a pastry chef at Zinc and Chow restaurants in New Haven; their son
Noah, a first-grader; and their dog, a pointer mix named Oreo. Silverman takes
over the deanship from Alexandra Dufresne.
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
University is welcoming its most diverse freshman class in history
Yale will bring educational treasures to iTunesU
Appointments Announced
Yale College deans for student and Native American affairs
Deputy provosts for science, faculty development
Coordinator of community programs in science
Yale Arab Alumni Association launched this summer
Yalies get taste of Hollywood as ‘Indiana Jones’ extras
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT NEWS
Five new faculty members begin teaching this fall
Students win championship round of new game show
New clinic offers free aid to local businesses, non-profits
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld cited as a business school ‘All Star’
DeVane Lectures to explore impact of performing arts
Scientists discover that evolution is driven by gene regulation
Exhibit explores fusion of fact and fiction in pirate portrayals
Also on view at the Beinecke Library
Exhibit features landscapes by photographer Jem Southam
Volunteers will again help during ‘Days of Caring’
Show celebrates East Asia collection’s 100th anniversary
Appointments at Center for Bioethics include a new director, David Smith
New residential college deans named
Events explore topics of reconciliation and ‘laws common to all mankind’
Yale Art Museums’ Open House to feature music, tours and more
Yale Library unveils blog and search tool
OISS seeking hosts for its Community Friends program
IN MEMORIAM
Letty Russell: Feminist theologian, leader in ecumenical movement
Brevard S. Childs: Influential Old Testament scholar, beloved teacher
Memorial service to be held for astronomy researcher Dorrit Hoffleit
Campus Notes
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