Lyde Cullen Sizer, an esteemed member of the College’s history faculty since 1994, has been named Associate Dean of the College, effective August 1, 2022.
“Lyde’s dedication to Sarah Lawrence is matched by her willingness to take on the most difficult issues that are central to the missions of small liberal arts colleges. She is unafraid to face tough questions, she is the first person to step up when needed, and she does it all with her characteristic historian’s eye and incredible generosity of spirit,” said Kanwal Singh, Provost and Dean of Faculty.
Holder of the Margot C. Bogert Distinguished Service Chair, Sizer is well known and highly respected for her dedication and service to Sarah Lawrence. She has served on numerous committees, was the interim head of the Women’s History program twice, has participated in numerous faculty searches, and even coached the College’s crew team in its early years. Sizer holds the record for being chosen by students to deliver the Senior Lecture more times than anyone else.
Sizer’s special interests include the political work of literature, especially around questions of gender and race; U.S. cultural and intellectual history of the 19th and early 20th centuries; and the social and cultural history of the Civil War. Her book The Political Work of Northern Women Writers and the American Civil War, 1850-1872 won the Avery O. Craven Award from the Organization of American Historians. She holds a BA from Yale University and an MA and PhD from Brown University.
“The students I’ve met at Sarah Lawrence over the years have taught me so much and have given of themselves so generously in my classrooms,” said Sizer. “It’s my honor to give back to them and to all in this community. I am looking forward to understanding the institution more holistically, and to really getting to know my colleagues on the staff, in particular. The job is itself a bit humbling; I know that I have a lot to learn, and I look forward to it.”
As Associate Dean—a rotating position open to all tenured faculty—Sizer will work in partnership with Singh and will have responsibility for and authority over several areas related to the undergraduate curriculum, assessment of teaching and learning, and guest faculty, among others.
Sizer succeeds Melissa Frazier (Russian, Literature), a member of the faculty since 1995 who has served admirably as Associate Dean for the past five years.