A Note of Farewell from César Braga-Pinto, Department Chair

A NOTE OF FAREWELL FROM CÉSAR BRAGA-PINTO, DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Dear colleagues and friends of the Spanish Department, Because last year we were not able to release one, this issue of the departmental newsletter aims to cover the period ranging from Fall 2020 to Spring 2022, although it might not be an easy task to summarize, even in a double issue like this, all range of achievements of the Spanish and Portuguese faculty and students during these last years – indeed, two most challenging years. In spite of all the constraints resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic, the Department has accumulated many success stories, which this newsletter attempts to account for, at least partially: changes in the curriculum, honors and prizes, faculty publication and research, undergraduate and graduate student’s lives and achievements, new and departing friends and colleagues, lectures and events, and more. As I conclude my appointment as Chair of the Department to join the Dean’s Office as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, I can’t help looking back at, not only the last five years when I served as Chair, but also at all the transformations which I have had the pleasure to witness since I came to Northwestern over ten years ago, under Jorge Coronado’s chairship. Indeed, this is the 10th anniversary of the Ph.D. Program in Spanish and Portuguese. At a time when many academics and administrators were skeptical about the future of doctoral programs, or concerned about job placement for graduate students, our own program has proved to be one of the most successful in the country, with a nearly 100% yield in student recruitment, and a most impressive record of placing students in postdoctoral or tenure-track positions in prestigious institutions, such as U. of Toronto and Washington University. In the Spanish Language Program, some of the milestones that mark its recent transformation include: assigning individual offices to teaching-track faculty who, until not too long ago, shared their work spaces; the long overdue change in titles of the faculty from Lecturer to Professor; the 2019 Spanish Language Program Review, which has guided the curriculum innovations in the last 3-4 years and will continue to inform it in the next years; and the reduction of the course load for teaching-track faculty from 9 to 6 courses a year. I feel privileged to have worked with such a hard-working and committed group of colleagues, and I particularly want to acknowledge the leadership of Chyi Chung and María Barros, as Directors of the Spanish Language Program, as well as Shannon Millikin as Assistant Director, and Elena Lanza, who has served as both Assistant and Interim Director. The success of both graduate and undergraduate programs is the result of the efforts of a number of most committed colleagues. I cannot imagine the Department without the tireless work of Nathalie Bouzaglo, who has been Director of Undergraduate Studies for nearly six years, and an active colleague throughout the years. In her capacity as Director of the Graduate Program, Alejandra Uslenghi’s dedication to graduate students and her ability to

deal with emergencies and unpredictability are most impressive. Lucille Kerr’s experience and attention to details have guided us and provided a healthy balance to faculty governance. Emily Maguire has been, and continues to be, an exemplary colleague in all capacities, but particularly now, as she accepts the invitation to serve as chair at least one year before predicted. As you will see in the next pages, in spite of such a heavy load of service administration that falls under the responsibility of the Associate Professors, they remain active with an impressive research agenda and publication record. Spanish and Portuguese together continue to enroll an average of 2,500 students yearly, in courses that serve beyond Weinberg college, from the language requirement to minors and majors. Last year, among our graduating students, 5 majored, and 25 minored in Spanish, whereas other five minored in Portuguese. As the Spanish Language and the Literature course sequences have been completely revamped and streamlined, making it easier for the students to fulfill their requirements by senior year, this consistent, but relatively small number of graduating majors is now poised to increase. Among our graduating majors, we are highlighting the trajectory of Samuel Primis, as he embodies all that which the Department can offer on the undergraduate level, from the minor in Portuguese to the Major and Honor’s Program in Spanish. I would like to send my warmest gratitude to our colleagues who retired last year. Sue Pechter, who has a Master’s in Spanish from Northwestern, has taught in the Spanish Language Program since 1999, and I cannot imagine the first-year courses without her. Patricia Nichols has been with us for nearly 40 years, and among her numerous contributions, I want to stress her commitment to first-year seminars and advising. Under their newly granted status as Emerita, Penny and Sue will always be welcome to teach courses in the department. I also want to make a special mention to Dario Fernandez-Morera, who retired and has received the status of Professor Emeritus in 2021. His research and teaching included, among other subjects, Golden Age and Medieval Spanish literature, culture and history. Among his most recent publications is The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain, published in French as Chrétiens, Juifs et Musulmans dans al-Andalus: Mythes et Réalités de l’Espagne Islamique. Our administrative staff is the moving force between at the front of and behind the department. After several years of dedicated service, Raluca Rustandi has left our team to pursue new opportunities at the Bienen School of Music. We are delighted to have Amanda Bartosiak join us as our new Business Coordinator after several years as Program Assistant in the Plant Biology and Conservation Program. We are also luck to have Michelle Farra as our new Program Assistant dedicated primarily to the undergraduate programs. And of course, we could not have endured the last two years without the dedication and good spirits of our Program Assistant Zhenya Tsanev. Finally, I want to welcome the colleagues who joined us the last two years or will start in the next two: Caroline Egan, Miguel Caballero, Jeffrey Coleman, Eider Etxebarría, Irene Finestrat, Julia Oliver Rajan, Estilita Cassiani Obeso, Nancy Dominguez Fret, José Delpino, Leonardo Gil Gomez, Mirella Gomes da Silva, Jacob Brown, Naira Corzon Cortez, René Carrassco, and Jacob Wilkenfeld.

Thank you so much to all of you who have supported and trust me in this journey.

-César Braga-Pinto, George F. Appel Professor in the Humanities