College hires new faculty in art, Hispanic studies and philosophy

Connecticut College has hired five new faculty members — including an imaginative ceramicist, an art historian internationally known for his study of medieval paintings found in the caves of China, and an expert in the works of Lope de Vega and Miguel de Cervantes.

The appointments were approved by the Board of Trustees May 21. The Board also granted tenure to eight professors who joined the faculty in 1999: Sunil Bhatia, Ruth Grahn, Martha Grossel, Andrea Lanoux, Jason Nier, Gary Parker, Paola Sica, and Margaret Thomas.

Additionally, Marc Zimmer, professor of chemistry, was appointed to the Barbara Zaccheo Kohn ’72 Professorship. He is the first to hold the Kohn professorship, which was created to recognize distinguished teaching.

New faculty are:

• Greg Bailey, assistant professor of art. Bailey previously taught at CC as a visiting assistant professor of art and has experience with woodworking, mold making, metal fabrication and metal casting. He received a master’s degree in sculpture from the Hartford Art School. His work has been showcased in several solo and group exhibitions around Connecticut.

• Christina Lee, assistant professor of Hispanic studies. Lee, a specialist on the works of Lope de Vega and Miguel de Cervantes, received master’s and doctoral degrees in romance languages and literatures from Princeton University with a concentration on Medieval and Golden Age literature.

• Qiang Ning, Chu-Niblack Associate Professor of Art History and Curator of the Chu-Griffis Asian Art Collection. Ning’s scholarly interests include the issues of art, religion, politics and gender in Chinese art and society. His most recent book is an examination of the interaction of art, religion, and politics in the historical context of Medieval China. Ning received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.

• Denise Pelletier, assistant professor of art. Pelletier’s work has been shown in several solo exhibitions around New England and in many group exhibits across the country and internationally. She has given many lectures and participated in various workshops on ceramics. She earned a master’s degree from Alfred University.

• Andrew Pessin, assistant professor of philosophy. Pessin has special interests in the fields of philosophy of the mind, metaphysics and early modern philosophy. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University.