Aleksondra Hultquist is an Associate Professor of Critical Thinking and First-Year Studies at Stockton University. Her teaching focus is in Critical Thinking, and a variety of General Studies courses, including Poetry & Mathematics, The Passions, and Adaptations. Her work focuses on the literature and culture of the long eighteenth-century, especially women writers and the passions. She has edited a special issue for Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation called “Emotion in the Eighteenth Century” (2017), and co-edited (with Elizabeth Mathews) New Perspectives on Delarivier Manley and Eighteenth-Century Literature (Routledge, 2017) as well as A Spy on Eliza Haywood, co-edited with Chris Mounsey (Routledge 2022). She has published many articles, including “Amorous Constitutions: Bodies and the Affect of Amatory Seduction in Eliza Haywood’s Lasselia” in Restoration (2020) and "Passionate Educations: John Locke, Aphra Behn, and Jane Austen” in English Literature (2018). Her current projects include her manuscript The Amatory Mode: Amatory Fiction’s Passionate Legacy and editing vol. 6 (Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister) of the Works of Aphra Behn by Cambridge University Press (2027). She is the president of The Aphra Behn Society and a founding editor of ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1660-1830. She is an Honorary Researcher for the Australian Research Council’s Center of Excellence for the History of Emotion and was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University in 2023.

I also like quilting, paddleboarding, and cooking. I love the beach—not a pina colada fan, though. Also, being an academic is my third career. And I can shuck clams, though I was better at it in college.

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Antonio Merlo, PhD, became Drexel University’s 16th president on July 1, 2025. An accomplished higher education leader, scholar and professor, Merlo joined Drexel after serving since 2019 as the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at New York University. In this role, Merlo worked meticulously and strategically to expand the limits of NYU Arts & Science, overseeing the completion of a new, innovative home for the college, NYU’s founding school; establishing new centers and an office of research; growing research and fundraising dollars; and hiring 120 tenure-line faculty.

Originally from Italy, Merlo, a first-generation college graduate, attended Bocconi University earning a Laurea summa cum laude in economics and social sciences. He received his doctorate in economics from NYU, where he earned the Dean’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Merlo’s areas of scholarly interest include political economy, policy analysis, public economics, bargaining theory and applications, and empirical microeconomics. His research interests include the economics of crime, voting, the career decisions of politicians, the formation and dissolution of coalition governments, the industrial organization of the political sector, household bargaining, and the study of the residential housing market. He has published numerous articles in the leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Journal of Political Economy, and the Review of Economic Studies. In 2018, he authored an innovative political economy textbook for undergraduates, Political Economy and Policy Analysis (Routledge). His numerous awards and honors include being elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society; the Pareto Lecture in Economics and Social Sciences; being a Peden Senior Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge; and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. In addition, he has been the recipient of the Coach of the Year Award for the Collegiate Water Polo Association in 2013 (Men’s Mid-Atlantic Division), 2017 (Women’s Texas Division), and 2018 (Men’s Texas Division).

Merlo joins Drexel as the University embarks on Academic Transformation, a blueprint for reimagining the institution’s future through the integration of programs and schools, redesign of curriculum and transition to a semester calendar — offering an improved academic experience and value proposition for students. Since his presidential appointment, he has emphasized his commitment to the initiative and his strong belief that it is giving Drexel an advantage, especially when combined with the University’s long-established differentiators, including experiential education.

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Carin Silkaitis is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Humanities. Carin has also served UAS in a number of Interim positions, including Provost (AY25), Dean of Research & Sponsored Programs (AY25), Dean of Graduate Studies (AY25), and Dean of Career Education (AY24). Carin hails from Chicago, where she served the faculty and students at Columbia College Chicago as the Allen and Lynn Turner Chair of the Theatre Department, a Professor of Theatre, and a Faculty Fellow serving on the College's Antiracism Transformation Team. At Columbia, Carin managed a substantial budget and led a large faculty, overseeing a significant number of productions annually. Her leadership was instrumental in revamping recruitment strategies, and significantly enhancing student retention during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Carin also served as Department Chair of both Art and Theatre at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois for 7 years, and served as a faculty member at this institution for a total of 17 years. While at North Central College, Carin tackled the roles of: Head of Acting, Theatre Program Coordinator, Title IX Investigator, and Lead Trainer/Educator for Green Dot - a bystander training technique that eradicates power-based personal violence. Carinʼs tenure at North Central College exemplified her capability to lead and innovate. She guided a complete overhaul of the theatre curriculum and led the department through significant growth and development (including major fundraising efforts). Carin's dedication to relationship building and community partnerships is evident in her active involvement in numerous boards and councils, including the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council where she served as President. Her commitment to antiracism and inclusivity is further exemplified in her work with the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Belonging, Empowerment, Access, Representation & Safety (BEARS) at UAS. A proven leader, Carin's strategic vision, combined with her extensive experience in academia and the arts, makes her an ideal leader during this time of nearly constant change in the academy. Carin's commitment to enhancing the academic landscape through innovative and inclusive practices promises to contribute significantly to the necessary conversations happening in her community and around our nation.

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