Tromp named dean of New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences

Marlene Tromp, director of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, has been named dean of ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2013. Tromp, a professor of English and women’s studies, joined the ASU faculty in 2011 from Denison University, where she also was a full professor.

She will succeed Elizabeth Langland, who earlier this year announced that she was stepping down as dean to return to the faculty.

During the short time she has been at ASU, Tromp has had a major impact. She developed a campus-wide series on "War and Peace" and also helped create an innovative New College writing program. In addition to teaching and her administrative duties as director of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, she serves on the Project Humanities Advisory Committee.

Tromp has received significant teaching awards for her work in the classroom. At Denison University, she was awarded the prestigious Charles Brickman Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship. She also has been named Teacher of the Year by the Prevent Abuse and Violence Education Association and was twice named a Mortar Board Outstanding Professor. 

“Marlene Tromp has brought to ASU a commitment to great teaching as well as academic leadership that extends across the disciplines,” ASU President Michael M. Crow said. “With Marlene as dean, New College is well positioned to further enhance its academic programs and to move into new and exciting areas.” 

“Marlene Tromp is a renowned scholar and devoted teacher who made an immediate impact on the school she directs by developing campus-wide, innovative programs,” said Elizabeth D. Phillips, ASU executive vice president and provost. “She has energy and ideas and the expertise to implement them. She will make a huge difference for New College and for the West campus.”

“It is an exciting time for New College and West Campus. Our genuinely talented faculty and path-breaking programs offer so much to our students, and Dean Elizabeth Langland’s leadership has built a broad and strong foundation for the college’s growth,” Tromp said. “I feel fortunate and honored to lead my colleagues into a new phase of New College’s development.”

Tromp is a well-published scholar on 19th-century literature and culture. She is the author of the books "Altered States: Sex, Nation, Drugs, and Self-Transformation in Victorian Spiritualism" and "The Private Rod: Sexual Violence, Marriage, and the Law in Victorian England." She also edited or co-edited and contributed to "Fear and Loathing: Victorian Xenophobia," "Victorian Freaks: The Social Context of Freakery in the Nineteenth Century" and "Mary Elizabeth Braddon: Beyond Sensation."

Her many professional activities include serving as vice president, board of directors, Nineteenth-Century Studies Association; and on the board of directors, North American Victorian Studies Association; as well as membership in the International Narrative Association, the Modern Language Association and the National College Teachers of English.

Tromp received her bachelor's degree in English from Creighton University, her master's degree in English from the University of Wyoming, and her doctorate in English from the University of Florida.

New College, located on ASU’s West Campus, offers interdisciplinary programs of study from across the sciences, humanities and social sciences. In addition to the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, New College includes the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The innovative New College programs provide students the foundation and skills necessary to tackle complex issues through effective understanding of science, nature, society, the arts, an appreciation for diverse culture, and the skills of effective expression.

An external search will commence to find a new director for the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies.