The political science department has hired a new professor who will begin teaching next fall, replacing retiring professor Eve Grace.
Joy Wang, a Harper-Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago, will teach the Introduction to Political Philosophy course and new political theory classes that the department hasn’t previously offered to students.
“The tradition of political philosophy teaching in our department at CC has been very strong for a very long time,” said Doug Edlin, McHugh Professor of American Institutions and Leadership and the department chair of political science. “My excitement about Joy joining our department is she will continue that tradition for us here.”
Wang’s hiring is a result of Edlin’s email to the department on Feb. 19, 2025, announcing Grace’s departure at the end of the academic year. Grace, an associate professor of political science, has taught political philosophy classes since 1993.
Edlin was surprised by Grace’s retirement plans.
“I just didn’t consider the possibility that Professor Grace was planning to retire,” he said. “I personally was assuming she was going to be here for a while longer… more than a few years.”
Grace declined to comment.
In the summer, the political science department created a search committee composed of department faculty and two cognates to conduct the hiring process. Prior to the search committee’s review of the pool of candidates, Edlin estimated that more than 200 applicants were whittled down by a subcommittee.
According to Edlin, committee members interviewed candidates over Zoom and selected three finalists for on-campus interviews during October. Finalists attended a variety of meetings and demonstrated their skills to students and faculty.
The final candidate, Wang, accepted the department’s offer by Nov. 20, 2025. She will start Aug. 24 for the 2026-27 academic year.