Montclair State University Names Dr. Peter Kingstone Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Peter Kingstone, PhD, has been appointed Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at Montclair State University, effective July 22, 2019.

Kingstone joins Montclair State after seven years at King’s College London where he co-founded the Department of International Development and served as Head of Department and Professor of Politics and Development from 2012-2019. Prior to his work at King’s, he was a member of the political science faculty at the University of Vermont from 1994-1999 and the University of Connecticut from 1999-2012, where he was also the Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

“The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is a critical component of Montclair State University, and I look forward to the College’s continued growth in both programmatic offerings and public stature under Dr. Kingstone’s leadership,” says Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole.

“I am excited about joining Montclair State and contributing to the transformational growth and development of this very distinctive University,” says Kingstone. “Throughout my career, I have worked in highly diverse, multi-disciplinary settings and Montclair State offers a wonderful opportunity to draw on the values and expertise in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to shape tomorrow’s citizens.”

Kingstone earned a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of three books, including Crafting Coalitions for Reform: Business Preferences, Political Institutions and Neoliberalism in Brazil (Penn State University Press) and The Political Economy of Latin America: Reflections on Neoliberalism and Development after the Commodity Boom (Routledge). In addition to his role as an editor for five other books, his policy-oriented and scholarly articles have been featured in prominent publications including World Politics Review, Comparative Politics and Latin American Research Review. Kingstone has been an invited speaker at institutions around the world, including University of Oxford, Harvard University, Brown University and Princeton University throughout his career.

CHSS programs at Montclair State University combine a traditional liberal arts education with focused preparation in a wide range of disciplines and professional areas. With more than 20 undergraduate majors, nearly 50 minors and numerous areas of graduate study and professional certificate programs, students can pursue study in well-established fields and in newly emerging areas of study that have developed in response to the complexity of a globalizing human community.

Kingstone assumes the deanship of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at a time of growth and innovation for the College’s 16 departments. Since the fall 2017 semester, the College has launched a doctoral program in clinical psychology, a Master of Social Work, a Master of Science in Computational Linguistics, a Master of Arts in Social Research and Analysis, a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities and a Bachelor of Arts in Language, Business and Culture.

“The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is home to tremendous dynamism and energy, both in traditional programs and in new interdisciplinary programs,” says Kingstone. “I look forward to working with colleagues within the College and across the University to keep strengthening existing disciplines and developing new interdisciplinary innovations.”

Kingstone succeeds Dean Robert Friedman, who is retiring.

To learn more about the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, visit montclair.edu/chss.