Faculty and Staff Notes

Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature Anna Levett recently published the article “'I and not I': Arab Surrealism and its Postcolonial Afterlives" in the journal Middle Eastern Literatures. It explores the literary and political legacies of two little-known surrealist movements in Egypt and Syria, tracing their influence on later generations of Arab writers and intellectuals.

Executive Director of Career Exploration and Development Anthony Pernell-McGee was named among the 50 Best Pre-Law Advisors in the U.S., an honor presented annually by the admissions consulting firm Juris Education. Pernell-McGee serves as Oberlin’s pre-law advisor and career advisor for the Law & Public Policy career community and is a member of the Law & Society Curricular Committee. The complete list of honorees can be found on the Juris Education website.

Emeritus Professor of History and former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Clayton R. Koppes co-presented "The Sap of the Body Politic: HIV/AIDS and the Travail of American Democracy" with David (Jax) Kelly at the Australia/New Zealand American Studies Association conference, held in Melbourne in November 2025.

Chief of Staff and Strategy Officer David Hertz was honored by the Press Club of Cleveland and the American Jewish Press Association for his contributions to the series Impact of Hate, which was published in the Cleveland Jewish News in 2025. Hertz earned third place in the Press Club's In-Depth Report or Series category and honorable mention in the AJPA’s Writing about Antisemitism category. The story is available on the Jewish Federation of Cleveland website.

Senior Lecturer of Writing and Communication Hal Sundt wrote a feature story for Smithsonian Magazine’s 250th Anniversary of America issue about the “Thunderstorm Project,” which is also the subject of his forthcoming book.

Assistant Professor of Data Science and Computer Science Joshua Davidson recently published an op-ed in the Philadelphia Citizen with Ariel Ben-Amos of the University of Pennsylvania. Titled "The Insurance Trap Killing Philly Public Spaces," it discusses how small revisions to urban insurance policies can support experimentation to promote more vibrant public spaces.

Director for Intercultural Engagement Sam Yang published an article in Sparks magazine titled “Beyond the Stage and Screen: How K-Culture Is Reshaping Campus Life and Student Engagement.” It examines how K-culture has become a meaningful site of intercultural engagement, belonging, and Asian diasporic visibility on college campuses. The article considers how institutions can approach popular culture programming with greater intentionality, cultural humility, and care.

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Uche Okonkwo gave a reading at the 2026 Ithaca College New Voices Festival. She also presented on multi-genre creative writing panels titled "Find Some Compassion: Creating Space for Conflict" and "Empire of Nature."

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Yveline Alexis presented at the Haitian Studies Association and the Latin American Studies Association in Paris. Her paper, "Ma Cerafina: An Enslaved Womyn in Colonial Ayiti and Colonial Cuba," was well-received.

Assistant Professor of Data Science and Computer Science Joshua Davidson was recently awarded a grant from the Cleveland Foundation for a project on "New Approaches to Make Cleveland's Roadways Safer for All Users." This two-year, $100,000 grant will support research that engages students to explore the ways that spatial and statistical models can be employed to generate actionable insights for urban policymakers working to make streets safer for everyone.