Five Toulan School faculty and staff to depart

Four Toulan School faculty and one staff member will be transitioning away from their current positions at the end of the academic year or the summer. 

Dr. Gerry Sussman, Professor, will retire from the PSU faculty at the end of academic year and has been promoted to emeritus faculty in the Toulan School. Dr. Sussman has been on the PSU faculty since 1994, and has held appointments in Communications and International and Global Studies during that time. 

Dr. Lisa K. Bates, Professor, will be moving within PSU to the Black Studies Department within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Gender, Race and Nations. Dr. Bates joined the Toulan School faculty in 2009, and will remain an Affiliated Faculty member of the School.

Dr. Megan Horst, Associate Professor, will be leaving her full-time faculty position at the end of the summer for a position in climate planning consulting. Dr. Horst joined the PSU faculty in 2015 and has served for the last two years as the MURP program director. She will be maintaining a part-time research faculty appointment through the Center for Urban Studies for the next year.

Dr. Kacy McKinney, Teaching Assistant Professor, will be leaving her full-time faculty position to work as an independent scholar. Dr. McKinney joined the PSU faculty in 2019, and will also be maintaining a part-time research faculty appointment through the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative.

Pauline Duffy, Toulan School Student Services Coordinator since 2016, will be retiring from the university after nearly 20 years of service. During her eight years at the Toulan School, Pauline helped hundreds of graduate students navigate the admissions process and supported them through their programs.