Change in leadership at Strassler Center

Provost John Magee has announced that Thomas Kühne will be stepping down from the role of director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Professor Kühne is returning to his faculty and scholarly work, including a research sabbatical in the coming academic year. 

Ken MacLean, professor with the Strassler Center and with the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice (affiliated with the School of Climate, Environment, and Society), will serve as interim director of the Center for the 2026–27 academic year. In this role, he will work closely with the Center’s faculty, staff, and students to support its academic and programmatic priorities, maintain continuity in its activities, and partner with the dean of research as the Center prepares for its upcoming external review and considers next steps in its development.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Thomas Kühne for his service as director,” Magee said. “Over the past several years, he has provided steady and thoughtful leadership during a period of meaningful work and transition for the Center, including guiding the recently completed self-study. This has also been a time of broader challenge and heightened visibility for scholars and centers working in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Thomas has led the Center with care, seriousness of purpose, and a deep commitment to its mission. This work has helped position the Center well as it prepares for its external review, and I am grateful for the strong foundation it provides.”

Magee also welcomed Ashley Valanzola to the Strassler Center as the newly named David Angel Endowed Chair in Holocaust Pedagogy and Antisemitism Studies. Valanzola earned her Ph.D. in history from George Washington University and is the author of When She Remembered: Seven Women Who Transformed French Holocaust Memory.