Gutierrez y Muhs and Smith appointed to endowed chairs in Arts and Sciences

November 23, 2018

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Two faculty members were recently installed as holders of endowed chairs in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, professor of Modern Languages and Cultures and Women and Gender Studies, was installed as the Theiline Pigott McCone Chair in Humanities. A two-year appointment, the Pigott McCone Chair in Humanities, is dedicated to promoting scholarly life among faculty. The president of Seattle University bestows this award to a member of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty who is an outstanding teacher and scholar in one of the basic humanities disciplines. Visit Pigott McCone Chair to learn more about Gutiérrez y Muhs and read the remarks she delivered at the installation.  

Mary-Antoinette Smith, associate professor of English and Women and Gender Studies, was installed as the Reverend Louis Gaffney, S.J., Chair. Made possible by the Jesuit community at SU, the Gaffney Chair promotes issues germane to the Jesuit mission and identity of the faith that does justice and supports the Jesuit ideal of teaching. You can read more about Smith and the remarks she gave during the installation at Gaffney Chair.  

The appointments of Gutiérrez y Muhs and Smith are notable firsts: Gutiérrez y Muhs is the first Chicana to hold the Pigott McCone Chair; Smith is the first African American woman to be named Gaffney Chair.  

Pictured (l. to r.): Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, David Powers, dean of the College of Arts; and Mary-Antoinette Smith. Visit Endowed Chairs for more photos from the installation taken by Yosef Kalinko.