On behalf of all of our colleagues in the Department of Sociology, we are delighted to present the fall edition of our department newsletter. This edition captures many of the events of this past year. It features updates on faculty activities, awards and transitions this past year. Whether you have been away for a long time or just a few years, we hope that these stories connect you back to your Bloomington friends.

We started off the fall semester with our first in-person department event in over a year – a welcome party in Bryant Park for our newest cohort of graduate students.  Pam Jackson, Director of Graduate Studies, organized a fabulous midday feast.  Students, faculty, family, and friends converged on the park, eager to see old friends and colleagues and greet the new students. As we head into a spring semester under the continued cloud of the pandemic, we will cherish that memory and celebrate the resilience of our terrific students, staff, and faculty.

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.