From great staff recruitments to the creation of new majors here at Sonoma State University, the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Hollis Robbins, has certainly left her mark in her time at the school. Since coming to school in 2018, Robbins has always done what was best for the school and department and she will be missed by the SSU community.

Over her time here at SSU, Robbins says that her proudest accomplishment was the creation of two new majors: Native American Studies and Cinematic Arts and Technology. When asked what led to the creation of these new majors Robbins said, “students have told us that this is what they would like to focus on as undergraduates and we are glad to serve them.” 

It is clear that the students have always been the biggest priority for Robbins while she has been at SSU. In fact, she says her favorite part of the job has been getting to know the students and learning what their plans are after graduation, “Getting to know the students makes it all worthwhile.” 

Since 2018, Robbins has also recruited great faculty and staff to teach at SSU. Many of these teachers have become favorites of their students. “We have been very fortunate to attract some stellar scholars to teach in our school, including Dr. Patrick Johnson in AMCS; Sena Clara Creston in Art Studio; Dr. Silvia Soto and Dr. Natalia Villanueva-Nieves in CALS; Dr. Gina Baleria in COMS; Dr. Theresa Burruel Stone and Dr. Jennifer Johnson in English; Dr. Kevin Nguyen in Hutchens; and Marie Ramirez Downing in Theater Arts,” said Robbins.

When asked if there was anything she would like to say to the Arts and Humanities department before her departure, Robbins gave the following statement:

“When I first arrived at Sonoma State I remarked how the School of Arts & Humanities had such a close and collaborative culture even though we were spread across so many different buildings. How could we be one cohesive unit when we are so fragmented? The answer is our mutual respect and collaborative ethic. We trust and support one another; we trust and support our students.”

Over the past week, SSU has named Edward Beebout to be the new interim dean of Arts and Humanities. Beebout has been at SSU since 2007 and currently serves as the department chair of the Communications and Media Studies department. 

During his time here, Beebout has taught many broadcast journalism courses and is the advisor for Studio Blue, the student-run video media outlet at SSU. His main goal as interim dean is to do what is best for the students and staff of this school.

“I truly hope I can make a difference. The university as a whole faces major challenges due to the recent declines in enrollment and a budget deficit,” said Beebout. “I want to make sure everyone in Arts and Humanities feel like their voices are being heard as we work together to find our way forward.”

When asked if there was the possibility of him moving from an interim to permanent role as dean, Beebout simply said that he was focusing on what he could do in the year ahead. Just like Robbins, he also had a statement for the arts and humanities department:

“I’m grateful to be part of the School of Arts and Humanities. There are so many talented and passionate people here,” said Beebout, “ I’m looking forward to getting to know more about them in the year ahead and discovering new ways we can work together for the good of our students.”