Russell Jeung, Brooklyn College’s 2025-26 Hess Scholar-in-Residence, is Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate.
Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program
Each year, the Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program invites to campus a distinguished individual representative of an academic discipline at the college. During Hess Week, the scholar-in-residence is introduced to students and faculty through a series of lectures, discussions, and special events.
Tanya Katerí Hernández
2026-27 Hess Scholar-in-Residence
Tanya Katerí Hernández is the Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and an internationally recognized comparative race law expert. The Wolfe Institute will be hosting events throughout the academic year to share her work with our campus community in anticipation of her residency during the week of March 22, 2027.
Previous Scholars in Residence
- Vartan Gregorian, 1993–94
- Ann Douglas, 1995–96
- James S. Langer, 1996–97
- Daniel Miller, 2000–01
- Robin D.G. Kelley, 2001–02
- Agnieszka Holland, 2005–06
- Marc Shell, 2007–08
- Eleanor J. Sterling, 2009–10
- Sean Wilentz, 2012–13
- Thomas Frank, 2014–15
- Rob Nixon, 2015–16
- John L. Jackson, Jr., 2016–17
- Edwidge Danticat, 2017–18
- José David Saldivar, 2018–19
- Winona LaDuke, 2019–20
- Lisa Lowe, Ph.D., 2021–22
- Barbara Smith, 2022–23
- Paul Ortiz, 2023–24
- Melissa Murray, 2024–25
- Russell Jeung, 2025–26
About the Program
The Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Program, established by Brooklyn College, is supported by the Robert L. Hess Fund. The program serves as a permanent tribute to the scholarly commitment of Robert L. Hess, exemplified during his tenure as president of Brooklyn College. It represents the ideal of the educated individual—knowledgeable, thoughtful, inquiring, alive to the shared purposes and concerns linking all intellectual pursuits. More particularly, it evokes the scholarly and academic virtues embodied in the curriculum at Brooklyn College.
The purpose of the program is to invite to the campus each year a distinguished individual representative of an academic discipline at the college, with the selection of such scholars being rotated through the disciplines. The distinction of the scholars in residence is based on their accomplishments and stature, not on their affiliation; they may be drawn from the academy, from the professions, or from public life. They must be able to speak to issues of their disciplines as well as significant issues of concern to the entire Brooklyn College community.
The scholar in residence engages in a variety of activities appropriate to the discipline, whether public lectures, performances, master classes, or guest lectures in undergraduate courses; participates in panels or symposia; and meets informally and socially with students, members of the faculty, alumni, and friends of Brooklyn College.
Ethiopian and African History Collection
The Brooklyn College Library has received the Ethiopian and African history collection from the library of Robert L. Hess. A portion of the Robert L. Hess Fund is set aside for the conservation and enhancement of this collection.