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Greenville Business Magazine

Clemson Names Dean Of College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences

Jun 07, 2018 03:18PM ● By Kathleen Maris

Leslie Hossfeld will join Clemson University as dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS) July 1.

“The dean’s position in the CBSHS is very exciting,” Hossfeld said. She will provide leadership for 202 faculty members, 103 staff members, 2,807 undergraduate students, and 443 graduate students.

Hossfeld is a professor and head of the sociology department at Mississippi State University (MSU), where she also served as director of the Mississippi Food Insecurity Program and associate director of the Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities.

“Leslie is a skilled researcher and academic leader whose determination to fight food insecurity has brought positive change to the regions in which she has worked and fits perfectly into Clemson’s land-grant mission,” said Clemson President James P. Clements. “Her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to raise the profile of our already strong College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. I am excited to welcome her to the Clemson Family.”

The college connects programs in communication; nursing; parks, recreation, and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice; and youth, family, and community studies. The CBSHS also houses 14 centers and institutes.

“I am greatly impressed by the innovative combination of disciplines that are represented in CBSHS, and this is the type of college I would create myself, as I am convinced that these particular disciplines offer the greatest synergistic prospect to tackling critical, current needs,” Hossfeld said. “To help shape and frame these interconnected programs through the Dean’s Office, and deepen and expand the CBSHS vision for Clemson, will be an incredibly rewarding undertaking for me.”

Hossfeld’s work speaks directly to the strategic vision of the CBSHS, which is to make a tangible difference in the lives of people every day and to be a leader in the effort to solve problems in South Carolina, the nation, and beyond.

“It is an exceptional opportunity, primarily because the College brings together strategic disciplines, institutes, and centers that, to my mind, have the greatest opportunity to make significant, positive results, especially when tied to the land-grant mission,” Hossfeld said.