Earlier this morning, President Bollinger announced that Josef Sorett, Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora Studies, will be the new Dean of Columbia College.

This morning, President Bollinger sent an email to the Columbia community that Josef Sorett will be serving as the next Dean of Columbia College and Vice President of Undergraduate Education as of July 1. The full text of the email sent to students can be found below.

Sorett came to Columbia in 2009 as a Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora Studies and currently serves as the chair of the Department of Religion. His academic work explores the role that religion has played in shaping Black communities in the United States. He has published several books, with his latest, The Sexual Politics of Black Churches, investigating the politics of sexuality in Black churches and communities. He is the founding Director of the Center on African-American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice, which was founded in the Spring of 2013. This year, he received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching. His research has often been published in several academic journals and anthologies; his work and commentary has also appeared in many popular media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, and NPR.

Professor Sorett has also been involved in several University Initiatives: he is the Chair of the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee, and a member of the Task Force on the Relationship of the Arts & Sciences and the College. 

This announcement follows disagreements about the role of the Columbia College dean, and the College’s Place within the larger University. The task force on the relationship of the Arts & Sciences and the College issued final recommendations in early April that suggested altering the Columbia College dean’s power by removing the CC Dean as co-chair from the Committee on Instruction. Additionally, some on the task force—including President Bollinger—pushed to decrease the control of the CC dean over academic, alumni, and student affairs.

Professor Sorett will be assuming the role of dean as the University considers expanding enrollment of Columbia College by 10%. A survey issued by CCSC to gauge student sentiments on increased enrollment received a record-high response rate of 45%, and across all areas the survey asked about, an overwhelming majority of students said it would negatively impact their experience at Columbia. Given that in this survey students noted that their needs are already not being met in many areas, Professor Sorett will have to work to make sure that if the University goes forward with expansion, that there are adequate resources available to a larger student body.

Email from President Bollinger to students on Tuesday, May 24 at 10:14 am:

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

I am delighted to announce that I have appointed Josef Sorett to serve as the next Dean of Columbia College and Vice President of Undergraduate Education, effective July 1, 2022.

Professor Sorett, who first came to Columbia in 2009, is a brilliant scholar, a beloved teacher, and a dedicated administrator. He is currently Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora Studies, Chair of the Department of Religion, and Director of the Center on African-American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice. Josef received his BS in Health and Exercise Science from Oral Roberts University, his MDiv in Religion and Literature from Boston University, and his PhD in African American Studies from Harvard University.

Josef’s scholarship explores the vital and complex role that religion has played in shaping the cultures of Black communities and movements in this country. His research straddles the disciplines of history, literature, religion, art, and music. His first book, Spirit in the Dark: A Religious History of Racial Aesthetics, examines the influence of religion on debates about Black art and culture in the 20th century. His latest work, The Sexual Politics of Black Churches, investigates the politics of sexuality within Black churches and the communities they serve. Josef’s interests extend across time periods and regions, analyzing conversations about marriage equality in the present alongside debates about the Black Arts movement of the 1960s.

Josef’s courses, including those in the Core Curriculum, African American Studies, and gospel music, are immensely popular. In his classrooms, students grapple with profound questions about culture, identity, and race. They are challenged to think freely and critically about the people and ideas that have shaped our world. For his dynamic and inclusive approach to pedagogy, and based on heartfelt and enthusiastic nominations from students and peers, Josef received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching at this year’s Commencement.

Above and beyond his work as Chair of the Department of Religion and as the Founding Director of the Center on African-American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice, Josef’s leadership in critical University administrative initiatives has been considerable, most notably as Chair of the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee, an important part of the University’s ongoing efforts to address anti-Black racism, and as a member of the Task Force on the Relationship of the Arts & Sciences and the College.

Josef is a consummate Columbian, who brings to this position a deep commitment to the unique and special role of the Core Curriculum in our undergraduate education and to ensuring our students have the best possible experience, inside and outside of the classroom, at the College.

I extend my thanks to the members of the search committee for their careful and thorough work. And, on behalf of the entire Columbia community, I offer Jim Valentini our collective gratitude for his leadership over the last decade.

Please join me in congratulating Josef Sorett on this well-deserved appointment.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger

Professor Josef Sorett via Columbia College