Binghamton University names new Harpur College dean

VESTAL — Anne McCall will be the next dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University, the school announced Tuesday.

McCall will take over the position on Aug. 1. For the past five years, she was dean of arts, humanities, and social sciences at the University of Denver. She is a scholar of 19th-century French literature.

McCall had visited Binghamton University’s campus in mid-March to meet with faculty and students before being named to the position and accepting it.

“Students in Harpur College learn from renowned experts who care deeply about them. Together they are developing important knowledge about human culture, understanding and our natural world. It’s an honor to join this dynamic academic environment,” she said in a news release.

McCall was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Cincinnati. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and her doctorate from the University of Strasbourg in France.

An authority on the work of the 19th-century French novelist, playwright and memoirist George Sand, McCall is the author of one book and 26 scholarly articles and book chapters, and has edited one book and several scholarly journals, the release said. She is completing a book exploring law and literature in 19th-century France.

Before becoming dean at the University of Denver, McCall taught at Vassar College and Tulane University. She is the recipient of Tulane’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and is a past president of the George Sand Association.

McCall, who lived in France and Spain for 10 years before beginning her professional career in American universities, values international experiences and perspectives, according to the release. She says that experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina were important in shaping her understanding of resiliency, solidarity, and change. In her spare time, McCall enjoys visiting her adult children, watching foreign movies and learning new athletic activities, such as cross-country skiing.

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