Every summer is an opportunity to reflect on how far our department has traveled since Washington University re-established Sociology a little over a decade ago. From an initial cohort of 3 sociology faculty, we’ve now swelled to 17 and are excited about expansion in the years ahead. This past academic year we welcomed three new professors to our department, Mira Vale, Chaeyoon Lim, and Liz Chiarello, each of whom helps to widen the department’s scholarly focus and course offerings. Our undergraduate and graduate programs are thriving, and we toasted another cohort of fantastic undergraduate majors and minors at our Spring graduation ceremony. Begun in that inauspicious year of 2020, our PhD program now boasts of over 20 students, and they are quickly establishing themselves as innovative, independent scholars conducting original, path-breaking research.

This summer also brings our first faculty retirement. As highlighted above, Steve Fazzari, who spearheaded the effort to re-establish the department, retires after 44(!) years at Washington University. To put it simply, the department would not exist were it not for Steve’s enthusiasm and tireless efforts to get the project off the ground, hire and welcome new faculty, and put in countless hours attending to every detail (and there are many!) involved in launching an undergraduate program. We cannot thank Steve enough for all that he’s done for the Department of Sociology. As a small gesture, at one of three different retirement parties Steve got to enjoy – a testament to the many roles he played so successfully at Washington University – we honored him by establishing the Steve Fazzari Outstanding Commitment to Sociology Award. The award recognizes an individual who performs exemplary service to the Washington University Department of Sociology, and students, faculty, staff, and community members are all eligible for consideration. 

One of the major joys of chairing such a productive, supportive, and intellectually rich community of scholars is keeping up with their many accomplishments. Just in the last few months, we have had multiple faculty members place articles in the discipline’s leading journal, the American Sociological Review. Our faculty continue to garner awards for their scholarship, including numerous book and article awards. For example, Liz Chiarello’s pathbreaking book on the opioid crisis, Policing Patients, received the top book award from the Law and Society Association, as well as multiple awards from various sections of the American Sociological Association (ASA).  

The department’s commitment to public outreach continues, with many professors interviewed in leading press outlets about their research and how it helps us understand core issues facing our community and nation. To take just a few examples, Professor Caitlin Collins is quoted in this CNN article discussing the challenges new mothers face, and Professor Adia Harvey Wingfield’s research is cited in this Forbes article on Black women in leadership roles. Speaking of Professor Wingfield, after being elected by her peers, she successfully served as the 2025 President of the American Sociological Association (ASA), spearheading new initiatives to deepen ties with major think tanks and leading lawmakers in an effort to translate sociological insights into policy outcomes. We are incredibly proud to have an ASA president within our ranks!

As you know doubt have heard, the last few years have brought new challenges to the field of higher education. Our department remains committed to pursuing social scientific breakthroughs through rigorous scholarship, and to disseminate our findings to wider audiences inside and beyond the classroom. Please take the time to read through our newsletter, send us a note updating us on your journeys, and if you have the means, contributing to our ongoing efforts to serve our students and faculty.