Alfred López named head of the Department of English
After a national search, Professor Alfred López has been appointed as Head of the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts. His appointment begins July 1, 2024. Prof. López joined the English faculty at Purdue in 2007 and has also taught courses and/or directed programs in Latin American and Latino Studies, Global Studies, Comparative Literature, and American Studies. He is currently Head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Interim Head of the Department of English.
“Professor López is well qualified to lead the Department,” said David A. Reingold, Senior Vice President for Policy Planning, Justin S. Morrill Dean of Liberal Arts, and Professor of Sociology. “I am confident he will provide leadership to continue to advance English as an important field of study and a path to meaningful career opportunities.”
Alfred J. López received his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. He is the author of six books, including José Martí: A Revolutionary Life (University of Texas Press, 2014), the definitive biography of Cuba’s greatest national hero. His most recent book is The Routledge Companion to Literature and the Global South, co-edited with Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo (Routledge, 2023). Prof. López’s essays have appeared in American Literature, Comparative Literature, Cuban Studies, South Atlantic Quarterly, Modern Fiction Studies, and the Huffington Post, among many other journals and periodicals. He was also the founding editor of The Global South (Indiana University Press, 2007), the leading journal of globalization and global South studies. Prof. López is a proud first-generation college graduate.
"I am thrilled and humbled and honored to serve as Head of such a consequential department at such a great university,” said Professor López. “As the son of immigrants, and proud holder of a community-college degree, serving in such a role at an institution as renowned as Purdue would have been beyond my parents' wildest dreams.
"I am excited for the work that awaits us, and the things we will achieve together."
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
About the College of Liberal Arts
The College of Liberal Arts is essential to a Purdue education that prepares graduates for meaningful careers and inspired leadership. Positioned at the intersection of liberal arts and STEM, the College leverages Purdue’s STEM strengths to propel our graduates toward new advances in our disciplines and enhances Purdue’s renowned STEM education by pushing all Purdue students intellectually and challenging them to be independent thinkers who drive decision making as bold, visionary leaders.