March 21, 2017

Bruce Suttmeier Appointed Interim CAS Dean

Bruce Suttmeier, associate professor of Japanese and associate dean of faculty has been appointed to serve as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He will assume the post beginning in June.

Bruce Suttmeier, associate professor of Japanese and associate dean of faculty has been appointed to serve as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I am delighted that Bruce has agreed to take on this role, and I am excited to support him as he continues to build on our strengths,” said Interim President Ellis. “I know as well as anybody the challenges and opportunities that an interim role brings, and I have no doubt the Bruce is more than ready to move the College of Arts and Sciences forward in its vital work.”

Suttmeier will assume the post beginning in June. He will succeed Dean Catherine Gunther Kodat who was named provost and dean of the faculty at Lawrence University.

A University of Rochester graduate with a PhD from Stanford, Suttmeier has been at Lewis & Clark since 2001. His teaching in Japanese language, literature, and civilization, as well as a first-year course on travel and travel writing, has won praise from students and colleagues. His class this spring explores Japanese fiction and film through the lens of ghosts and monsters, beginning in the 10th century Heian court and ending in the early 21st-century world of popular culture.

Suttmeier’s published research has examined war memory and trauma in Japanese fiction of the 1960s as well as Tokyo’s frenetic preparations for the 1964 Olympic Games. He has chapters in two forthcoming volumes–one published by Oxford University Press–and his work has appeared in scholarly periodicals including the Journal of Japanese Studies and positions: east asia cultures critique.

In addition to his teaching and research, Suttmeier has served since 2015 as associate dean for faculty development, a role in which he manages faculty searches, orientation and mentoring, developmental and tenure/promotion reviews, and development programs.