Meet Us
At the College of Arts & Letters, our people drive innovation and opportunity. Across our departments and centers, we blend rigorous academic training with experiential learning, career-focused advising, and partnerships that open doors —from local institutions, national tech industries, to global organizations. Meet the team committed to supporting students as they build professional pathways and thrive in today’s evolving world
Dean's Office Staff
Gladys M. Francis
Dean
- Location: MRP 5000
- Phone: (916) 278-6502
- gladys.francis@csus.edu
- Pronouns: she/her/hers
Shawna Malvini Redden
Interim Associate Dean, Budget & Operations
- Location: MRP 5000
- Phone: (916) 278-6502
- malviniredden@csus.edu
- Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sharon Hopkins-Bright
Specialist & Assistant to the Dean
- Location: MRP 5000
- Phone: (916) 278-5099
- hopkins-bright@csus.edu
- Pronouns: she/her/hers
Student Success Team
Dena Lemus
Senior Graduation & Retention Coordinator
- Location: CLV 138
- Phone: (916) 278-4464
- dena.lemus@csus.edu
Kya Web
Senior Graduation & Retention Coordinator
- Location: Calaveras Hall, Room 138
- Phone: (916) 278-5006
- kya.webb@csus.edu
- Duties: Career Counseling & Development, Student Success & Retention Strategy approaches to Student Support, Cognitive Behavioral Studies, Holistic & Wellness-Based Counseling, Student Success Analytics
A&L Department Chairs
Russell DiSilvestro
Department Chair, Professor of Philosophy
- Location: Mendocino Hall 3000
- Phone: (916) 278-6766
- rdisilv@csus.edu
- Office Hours: M/T/W/R 1-2pm (students), 2-3pm (non-students), or by appointment.
- Specialty & Interests: I work on the intersection between metaphysics and ethics, especially as it relates to contemporary bioethical issues involving the nature and moral status of human beings.
Philip Flickinger
Chair, Dept. of Theatre and Dance
- Location: Shasta Hall 106
- Phone: (916) 278-7033
- philip.flickinger@csus.edu
- Pronouns: he/him
- Specialty & Interests: Modern/Contemporary Dance, Choreography, Dance Cultures of America
Torsa Ghosal
Department Chair (Interim), Associate Professor of English
- Location: Calaveras Hall 106
- Phone: (916) 278-86576
- engl-chair@csus.edu
- Website
- Office Hours: Students: Tues and Wed 2:30pm-3:30pm Faculty and staff: Tues and Wednesday 1:00-2:30pm Staff: Monday 2:30pm-3:30pm
- Specialty & Interests: Digital Literary Studies and AI, Narrative Theory, Cognitive Studies, 20th/21st century Global Anglophone Literature and Popular Culture, Translation (Bengali to English)
Rachel Miller
Chair, Art Department
- Location: Kadema 189
- Phone: (916) 278-6166
- rachel.miller@csus.edu
- Office Hours: For Students: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, 4:00pm-5:00pm Thursday, 1:00pm-2:00pm By appointment For Faculty: Monday, 12:00pm-1:00pm Wednesday, 4:00pm-5:00pm Thursday, 11:00am-1:00pm By appointment
- Areas of Teaching: Art History, Early Modern European Art
Scott Perkins
Director; Associate Professor of Music
- Location: Capistrano Hall 109
- Phone: (916) 278-7984
- scott.perkins@csus.edu
- Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. – noon; by appointment
- Specialty & Interests: Composing for the Voice, Pedagogy of Music Reading and Perception, Music of Benjamin Britten, Comparative Linguistics
Richard Pratt
Department Chair, Professor of Graphic Design
- Location: MRP 5001A
- Phone: (916) 278-3659
- rpratt@csus.edu
- Office Hours: We / Th 1:00–2:00 In-person or Zoom, by appointment or walk-in
- Specialty & Interests: Aesthetics, semiotics, and the relationship between art and design
Curtis Smith
Department Chair, Professor of Chinese
- Location: MRP 2051
- Phone: (916) 278-6726
- curtis.smith@csus.edu
- Website
- Specialty & Interests: Ancient Chinese intellectual history; Medieval Chinese literature
Jeffrey Wilson
Department Chair, Professor of History
- Location: TAH 3080
- Phone: (916) 278-6136
- jkwilson@csus.edu
- Office Hours: M, T, W, & R 12:30-1:30
- Specialty & Interests: Germany & Central Europe, nationalism, environment
Harvey Stark
Associate Professor, Chair of the Humanities & Religious Studies Department
- Location: Mendocino Hall, Room 2011B
- Phone: (916) 278-6261
- harvey.stark@csus.edu
- Specialty & Interests: Specialty & Interests: Islam, American Religion, Chaplaincy
Jenny Stark
Chair, Communication Studies Department
- Location: Mendocino Hall 5004
- jenstark@csus.edu
- Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 p.m. -3:00 p.m.