First came the good-byes. On September 1st, a note of sadness was present on the overall festive occasion as ECLA thanked Andrea Pomerance and Nicole Hatch for their service to the college. Honoured by the ECLA President Laurent Boetsch as “institutional co-founders”, ECLA’s now former registrar and librarian were joined by their colleagues and faculty members for a good-bye reception and lunch in their office building. The registrar and librarian functions are only two areas which Pomerance and Hatch had established and developed through their pioneering work in the college administration. ECLA wishes them all the best as they leave Berlin to pursue next steps in their lives and careers as far as Latin America and New Zealand.
During the recent weeks, the administrative team has also welcomed two new colleagues and reorganised its work to manage the transition of responsibilities previously held by Nicole Hatch and Andrea Pomerance. Alicja Weikop joined ECLA as Registrar and Institutional Research Officer while Alissa Burmeister has begun work as Student Community Life Coordinator. Having joined ECLA in August and September, the new team members have used the opportunity to set up their work areas before classes resume in October. ECLA welcomes them on board and wishes them much success in their work.
Staff news have not been confined to the administrative side of the college this summer. This autumn the faculty will welcome three new participants in ECLA’s Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship Programme: Mantha Zarmakoupi (Oxford University, Classical Archeology), Geoff Lehman (Columbia University, Art History), and Rob Boddice (University of York, History). The Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowships are designed to give young teacher/scholars the opportunity to engage fully in the interdisciplinary work of the college and to contribute to ECLA’s curricular development. Finally, Kristin Voigt (Oxford University, Political Theory) will join the faculty for the winter and spring terms as a full-time faculty member.
The forthcoming faculty retreat at the end of September will serve as a forum for all members of the ECLA faculty to finish preparations for the coming academic year and to set agendas for committee work related to the introduction of the Bachelor’s degree programme at ECLA. ECLA President Laurent Boetsch will also participate in the retreat.
On October 3rd, as Germany celebrates its reunification, ECLA will open its gates to a new generation of students. Classes begin on October 9th.