Month: August 2022

BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

A Message to Students from the Dean

Dear Students, 

Welcome to a new school year — we are so pleased to have you back on campus and to share together in the joy of education and discipleship. As we begin anew, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the beloved community of Zion that we seek to build in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, and at BYU. We need each and every one of you in order to build this community. 

Zion means that we are “of one heart and one mind” and that there are “no poor among us” (Moses 7:18). Being of one heart and one mind means that we “mourn with those that mourn” (Mosiah 18: 9), so what happens to one of us, happens to all of us. In order to have no poor among us, each member of our community should be treated with respect and feel safe on campus. Without feelings of safety, there cannot be true belonging. 

President Nelson called upon church members everywhere to “lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice” and pleaded with us to “promote respect for all of God’s children.” As a college community, we strive to foster an educational environment that promotes the personal dignity of every individual, and where we each take responsibility to “eliminate prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism” and treat one another compassionately “regardless of age, personal circumstances, gender, sexual orientation” or other unique circumstances (FHSS Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statement). We are deeply saddened when members of our community are wounded by the hurtful words and behavior of others within the college and across campus. 

I urge each of you to prayerfully consider what this might look like in your life, and how you can help to build safety and belonging in our community. I would suggest that abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice includes our willingness to stand up for what is right and address racist language and behavior, or any other kind of discriminatory language and behavior, swiftly when it occurs. 

Elder Soares urges us to “Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone.” Our BYU statement on belonging purports that we strive to create a community “whose hearts are knit together in love” (Mosiah 18:21), where “our interactions create and support an environment of belonging” and where “all relationships reflect devout love of God and a loving, genuine concern for the welfare of our neighbor.” This certainly includes listening, educating, and being aware, but must also include action, as we seek to know how to fulfill our duty to uplift, empower, and serve. While always striving to act in a manner consistent of a disciple of Christ, we must be firm and steadfast in “rooting out racism” and other similar evils. 

We love each of you and feel blessed to embark on this journey with you as we strive to build a community where the Savior would desire to dwell. We are here for you when you need us, and we continue to offer prayers on your behalf. 

Have a wonderful semester! 

Laura Padilla-Walker 

Dean, BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences 

BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Seven New Social Scientists Join College Faculty

The College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences welcomes seven new full-time faculty members to the Political Science Department, Psychology Department, and School of Family Life this fall.  

Political Science

Darin Self is a new assistant professor of the Political Science Department. Self earned a masters in public policy (MPP) from BYU in 2013 and then a doctoral degree in Government at Cornell University in May 2022. Self is a comparativist studying Latin America and Southeast Asia. He is particularly interested in authoritarianism, comparative democracy, parties and elections, and civilian-military relations.

Alejandra Aldridge is also a new assistant professor in the Political Science Department. Aldridge studied political science at Stanford University, earning a PhD in June 2022. She researches the intersection of democracy, partisanship, and the presidency, and gender and politics.

Psychology  

Stefania Ashby is a new assistant professor in the Psychology Department. She studied psychology at the University of Oregon with an emphasis in cognitive neuroscience. Ashby completed her PhD in 2021 and studies memory and misinformation processing.

Chelsea Romney joins the Psychology Department as an assistant teaching professor. She completed a PhD in health psychology from UCLA in 2021 and focuses on intervention programs for underrepresented students and research mentoring.

School of Family Life

Nathan Leonhardt is a new assistant professor in the School of Family Life. Leonhardt studied at the University of Toronto to earn a PhD in psychology in July 2022. His research interests include social psychology and how relationships are influenced by sexual quality, virtues, prosociality, and religion.

Dana Hunter is a new associate teacher professor in the School of Family Life. She received a BS in Home Economics Education in 1988 and an MS in Family Science in 1992. Her focus is on emphasizing feelings of belonging constructed by food and family.

Cortney Evans Stout is a professional-track associate professor at the School of Family Life. Having studied at BYU during her entire tertiary education career, Evans Stout earned an MS in marriage, family, and human development in 2004 and went on to graduate in 2008 with a PhD in the same field. She brings expertise in child and human development and a background of public scholarship.