Peter J. Steinberger named acting president

Peter J. Steinberger, the Robert H. and Blanche Day Ellis Professor of Political Science and Humanities and dean of the faculty, is acting president of the college as of July 1. The board of trustees unanimously approved the appointment at its regularly scheduled meeting in April.

“Peter Steinberger is an outstanding teacher-scholar and one of the most articulate and enthusiastic supporters of Reed’s academic program and traditions,” said Walter Mintz ’50, chairman of the board of trustees. “The trustees are delighted that he is willing to assume the important responsibilities of acting president until a new president is appointed.”
Steinberger intends to resume his responsibilities as dean after completing his term as acting president. Ellen Keck Stauder, professor of English and humanities, has been named acting dean of the faculty (see below.)

“Steve Koblik’s extraordinary and historic presidency, building on the wonderful foundation laid by former president Paul Bragdon, has left the college in terrific shape,” said Steinberger. “I firmly believe that no one anywhere provides a better undergraduate education than Reed. For me, being a member of this faculty and having an opportunity to serve the institution in other ways is a gift.”

Steinberger is the author of The Concept of Political Judgment (University of Chicago Press, 1993), Logic and Politics: Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (Yale University Press, 1988), and Ideology and the Urban Crisis (State University of New York Press, 1985). He is the editor of Readings in Classical Political Thought (Hackett Publishing, 2000). He has written about politics in articles and opinion pieces in periodicals that include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor. His work has been published in many journals, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Political Theory. He was a member of the Oregonian editorial board and editorial writer in 1987.

Steinberger has been a member of the Reed faculty since 1977 and was named to the Ellis professorship in 1993. He has been dean of the faculty since 1997. Steinberger has taught classes in subjects that include classical and modern political philosophy, Hegel and Marx, judgment, the idea of the state, Western humanities, and political analysis. In 1989 he received Reed College’s Burlington Northern Award in recognition of distinguished teaching. Before joining the Reed faculty he taught at the University of California–Riverside and the University of Denver.

Steinberger earned a Ph.D. from the University of California–Riverside in 1976, and he holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Fordham University.

From 1989 to 1993 Ellen Keck Stauder served as Reed’s associate provost, working to reduce class size, facilitate registration, and examine the humanities program. Her scholarly interests include modern poetry, Victorian literature, prosody, and literature and the arts.

In particular, her use of innovative rhythm analysis technology has revolutionized the way her students understand poetry and poetics.Stauder earned her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, her M.A. at the College of St. Rose, and her B.M. at the Eastman School of Music. She has been a member of the Reed faculty since 1983.