Interim Liberal Arts and Social Sciences leadership named

Central Michigan University has named Marcy Taylor as interim dean and Christi Brookes as interim associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Taylor, currently associate dean of the college, and Brookes, professor of French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, will assume their interim leadership duties Jan. 1, 2022, as Dean Richard Rothaus moves into his role as interim provost.

"Dr. Taylor and Dr. Brookes bring years of leadership experience to their positions and have been instrumental in the innovative approaches that have made CLASS so successful," Rothaus said.

Taylor, who was named associate dean of CLASS in 2019, also served as interim dean for a year following the retirement of Pam Gates in 2018. She first joined CMU as an assistant professor in English Language and Literature in 1996. During her tenure, she has served as both the department's director of composition and its chair, as well as assistant dean of the college. Taylor also served as interim chair of the Political Science department in 2013 during a leadership transition and has served on many universitywide committees.

Taylor received bachelor's degrees in both English and secondary education and a master's degree in English from the University of Idaho. She earned a doctorate in English from the University of Washington. She is a founding co-editor of Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language Composition and Culture, an academic journal.

Brookes joined CMU in 2004 as an associate professor of French. Since that time, she also served as chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures from 2012-18 and interim associate dean of CLASS from 2018-19.

Brookes received a bachelor's degree in French literature from the University of Arizona and master's and doctoral degrees in French from The Pennsylvania State University. She currently serves as chief Listserv and social media editor for H-France, the largest scholarly organization for Francophone history and culture in the Anglophone world.

Taylor and Brookes both served as CMU administrative fellows and also are graduates of Harvard Graduate School of Education's Management Development Program.