We kicked off our “recovery” season with an alumni reception at the Los Angeles meetings of the American Sociological Association in August.  It was wonderful to see an overflow crowd of alumni, faculty, and students noisily sharing the joy of seeing each other in person after several years of isolation.  We followed up with an all-department “unofficial” welcome party for new graduate students.  Koji Chavez and his partner Ashley Lagaron were gracious hosts, and we all enjoyed enough fabulous food to fortify us for the year to come. We are back at work with a vengeance and fall semester has been busy as ever.

This issue features updates on faculty activities, awards and transitions this past year. Personally, I want to express my gratitude to all my colleagues for their support, above and beyond their outstanding contributions to sociological research and excellence in teaching. I’d also like to thank our longtime staff (Saundra Daggy and Susan Risen) and our newest staff (Mary Beth Kaczmarczyk) for stepping up under Paula Cotner’s able leadership. Paula started as department administrator last spring.  She and the staff are keeping the department humming!

We will be in touch early in the spring to learn more about what all of you have been doing. We are eager to hear your updates and we have heard from many of you who enjoy reading about friends and colleagues from your Bloomington years. More than ever, we cherish the importance of community. The strength of our department derives from our deep and abiding connections to each other: those in Bloomington, those still trying to get to Bloomington and those who have carried the spirit of Indiana University Sociology to new locales. We hope that you enjoy the newsletter, and we look forward to staying in touch.

Patricia A. McManus
Department Chair