Careful academic advising is essential for students wanting to get the most out of CLST, especially to devise a truly complementary relationship between the broader interests of the program and the more focused ones of the home discipline. Moreover, students can hardly be expected to know who among the 183 CLST faculty members can most benefit them or what types of the fifty courses the program can be useful.
On the front lines of advising is the CLST Liaison elected annually in each affiliated department. The Liaison’s primary advisory role is to help certificate students coordinate their program’s specific departmental course requirements with the CLST ones, especially involving crosslisted departmental courses. Each Liaison serves a one-year term that begins on each October 15, just before the Spring Semester enrollment period begins.
The current departmental liaisons are:
- Africana Studies, Christel Temple
- Anthropology, Emily Wanderer
- Bioethics, Michael Deem
- Classics, Christina Hoenig
- Communication, Paul Johnson
- School of Computing and Information Science, James "Kip" Currier
- School of Dental Medicine, Nina Markovic
- School of Education, Gina Garcia
- English, Jennifer Waldron
- French and Italian, Lina Insana
- Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, Julie Beaulieu
- German, Sabine von Dirke
- Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Jerome Branche
- History, Ruth Mostern
- History of Art and Architecture, Shirin Fozi
- History and Philosophy of Science, Paolo Palmieri
- Law, Jennifer Smokelin
- Linguistics, Scott Kiesling
- Music, Yoko Suzuki
- Philosophy, Japa Pallikkathayil
- Political Science, Jae-Jae Spoon
- Public Health, James Egan
- Religious Studies, Rachel Kranson
- Slavic Languages and Literatures, Bella Grigoryan
- Sociology, Waverly Duck
- Theatre, Kathleen George
For broader guidance about CLST faculty expertise, course selection outside home departments, and career development, students can contact CLST Director Ron Zboray (zboray@pitt.edu or 412-624-6969, either to communicate long distance or to schedule an advising appointment). His office in 401c Cathedral of Learning. The Director is also the final decision-maker in administering CLST program policies affecting students.