Heather Nathans, a Tufts alumna and current professor at the University of Maryland's School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, on March 12 was appointed the new Chair of the Tufts Department of Drama and Dance.
"It's wonderful to be coming home to Tufts," Nathans told the Daily. "I have tremendously enjoyed my time at the University of Maryland,
but ... the opportunity to come home, the opportunity to come to a place that I've loved for so many years and have so many colleagues
[at] is a really special opportunity."
Associate professor and present department chair Downing Cless announced last semester that he would retire at the end of the academic year, prompting the search for his replacement, according to Department of Drama and Dance Professor Barbara Grossman. Nathans will begin serving in her new role upon Cless' retirement.
According to Grossman, the search process for Cless' replacement first involved crafting a position description and advertising it. The department search committee sought applicants who had administrative and teaching experience, held doctorate degrees and were scholars and leaders in their fields.
"We decided not to make [the position] field-specific," she said. "[We were] really looking for someone who can be a mentor to students and can be a role model."
The department search committee advanced with four finalists after reviewing applications from 30 qualified candidates after the Oct. 31 deadline, Grossman explained. Nathans was the unanimous first choice.
Tufts students also influenced the decision to appoint Nathans, according to student-department liaison Zoe Marmer. Marmer said she formed a student committee of undergraduate students involved in the Department of Drama and Dance to provide feedback to Grossman and the faculty search committee upon attending the four finalists' presentations.
"The committee itself ended up being an active presence," Marmer, a senior, said. "I think that was integral in the selection of the chair. The department was allowed to take into account what they might need and also what students are desiring."
Marmer said that students and department faculty members are enthusiastic to have Nathans as the new chair.
"All things combined, she seems to have a really strong presence, strong qualifications, energy, and [she is] approachable," Marmer said. "There was this excitement after her presentation. All of us could feel this connection with her."
Nathans graduated with a Ph.D. in theater from Tufts in 1999 and received the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Grossman said Nathans rose fast during her time at University of Maryland and recently became president of the American Society for Theatre Research.
According to Grossman, Nathans completed the Ph.D. program in record time and wrote an excellent dissertation.
"It's really gratifying for me and my colleagues that she comes from our program," Grossman said. "She appreciates and acknowledges the strengths of the department [and] is eager to lead us forward to make us vibrant, to make us the best that we can possibly be."
Nathans said she looks forward to collaborating with other members of the theatre community at Tufts. She believes one of the important roles of the chair is to build a collective vision and then to advocate that vision as the program's strongest champion.
"My goals would be to strengthen what's already strong and dynamic in the program and then to get feedback from the faculty about where they think there are areas for improvement," Nathans said.
Nathans added that she is excited to incorporate research in the classroom and to engage in collaborative teaching and learning with students.
"I think [learning] needs to be a conversation, and I think the most exciting classes are the ones where students and professors are working through
questions together," she said." "I hope I come into the classroom
with as many questions as I have answers."
