Academic departments are living bodies, and ours is shaped by growth and change. There is always room for improvement, and we will always strive to do better. Individually and collectively, the Department of Art History aspires to be a leader and a catalyst for progress. This means unceasing responsiveness to innovation in our teaching and untiring effort in cultivating a more diverse and inclusive DAH community. To this end, we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to equality for every student and scholar who steps through our doors. Moreover, we embrace a commitment to diversifying our faculty and staff hires; to promoting cross-cultural exchange, as also reflected in our events programming; and to diversifying our student body, as manifested by changes in the major/minor distribution requirements and more globally-representative curriculum. Finding new language also matters. There are many ways, both bold and less noticeable yet equally poignant, to make our department more welcoming to all students, identities, and ideas. This is a start — and a promise that we will continue to put in the hard work to live up to our students' expectations.

Dennis Geronimus

Chair, Department of Art History

November 15, 2020