College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

The University of Dayton has appointed sociology professor Leslie Picca as the Raymond A. Roesch, S.M., Chair in the Social Sciences. Currently, Picca is chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work. She joined the University faculty in 2005.

Picca, a noted author and speaker on race relations, will carry the title of Roesch Chair-designate and continue as department chair through the 2018-19 academic year. She will begin her four-year term as an endowed chair in August 2019.

She succeeds Roger Reeb as the fifth holder of the Roesch Chair, and the first woman to serve in that position.

Established in 2002 to recognize the importance of the social sciences to a liberal education and to scientific research on the human condition, the Roesch Chair provides leadership in establishing the social sciences within the curriculum and the broader intellectual life of the University.

Jason Pierce, College of Arts and Sciences dean, said Picca is an outstanding scholar and teacher who has demonstrated a deep commitment to University initiatives, particularly those related to diversity and inclusion.

“Dr. Picca has found ways to link her scholarship interests to the University’s diversity efforts, including serving on the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Assessment Task Force and as the keynote speaker at this year’s Premier Heath Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration,” Pierce said. “Through these efforts, she has helped enhance the status of and increase opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups at UD.”

As Roesch Chair, Picca intends to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, in collaboration with social science faculty and chairs, as well as other campus partners. Her plans include inviting prominent social scientists to speak on campus and hosting a series of brown-bag conversations to discuss teaching on diversity-related topics.

“In addition to focusing on initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, my goal as Roesch Chair is to encourage cross-pollination among the social science faculty,” Picca said. “The social science department chairs and SSC 200 coordinators have remarked at the siloed nature of the social sciences, which is a detriment to transdisciplinary Common Academic Program courses such as SSC 200: Social Science Integrated CAP.”

Picca served as the first CAP SSC 200 coordinator and co-founded Creating Inclusive Community, a program that sends students and faculty to diversity-related conferences. In addition to her appointment as Roesch Chair, she was recently elected to a three-year term on the University’s Academic Senate and will serve as its vice president.

In 2017, Picca was honored with the National Society of Leadership and Success Excellence in Teaching Award. She also was co-recipient of the 2016 University of Dayton Faculty Alumni Award for Scholarship.

She is the co-author of two books, Jim Crow’s Legacy: The Lasting Impact of Segregation and Two-Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage, as well as six peer-reviewed articles, and 16 book chapters and essays. Her media appearances include interviews with The Christian Science Monitor, CNN and the Associated Press.

Picca holds doctoral and master’s degrees in sociology from the University of Florida, as well as a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies and Gender Research from that institution. She also holds a bachelor’s from University of Mary Washington.

“Leslie will make a lasting contribution to the university through this role,” said Jon Hess, associate dean for faculty scholarship, internationalization and inclusive excellence, who chaired the search committee. “She has a compelling vision, an understanding of what needs to be done, and the leadership ability to achieve the goals she has set forth.”

Search committee members also included Jaro Bilocerkowycz, associate professor of political science; Greg Elvers, associate professor of psychology; and Cathy Zois, professor of psychology.

The Roesch Chair is named in honor of Fr. Raymond Roesch, S.M., who entered the Society of Mary in 1933 and graduated from the University of Dayton in 1936. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1944 and returned to the University in 1951 as a professor of psychology. After seven years as department chair, he became the University’s 16th president in 1959 and served for 20 years in that role.

- Dave Larsen, communication coordinator, College of Arts and Sciences