The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has named Andrea M. Leverentz head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, effective July 1.
Currently, Leverentz is a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) and served as a graduate program director for nine years.
“I welcome the wealth of teaching, research and administrative experience Andrea brings to our university, and am excited she is joining our college to lead the Department of Sociology and Anthropology,” says Deanna Dannels, dean of NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Her collaborative leadership philosophy and innovative perspectives on engagement will help move our college forward and provide opportunities that benefit our entire community.”
Leverentz joined UMass Boston in 2006 as an assistant professor and rose to associate professor in 2012. From 2013 to 2022, Leverentz also served as a graduate program director; she was named to her current position in 2021. Her academic career also includes a previous role as a visiting instructor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
As graduate program director, Leverentz was involved in building a relatively new Ph.D. program. Her involvement included creating policies and practices, restructuring course requirements and developing proseminars to support the professional development of the program’s mostly first-generation graduate students.
At the university level, Leverentz was the lead administrator of a universitywide Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Program and served on the academic programs strategic planning committee and the institutional review board, among others. In addition, she served as a co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Catalyst grant to work toward organizational change for gender and race/ethnic equity in STEM fields at UMass Boston. She has also received a number of grants from such organizations as the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice.
Much of Leverentz’s university and professional service has centered on graduate education and building community among students and faculty. She also values providing real-world solutions to real-world problems. Her primary research and teaching interests focus on the impact of incarceration on individuals and communities, urban and community sociology, responses to crime and qualitative research methods.
She has written two books and co-edited one. Her most recent book, Intersecting Lives, explores issues related to prisoner reentry from the perspectives of returning prisoners and receiving communities. She has also written numerous articles for such publications as Criminology, Social Problems and City and Community. Additionally, she is involved in various sociology organizations, including the American Sociological Association and the American Society of Criminology.
Leverentz holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in sociology from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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