Stories

Enrique S. Pumar Ph.D.: New Chair of Sociology

The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to introduce Dr. Enrique S. Pumar, Fay Boyle Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology. Dr. Pumar brings years of experience as an expert on DACA and international migration. Before arriving at SCU, he served as a professor and Chair of Sociology for nine years at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Prior to that he was director of Latin American and Latino Studies and Associate Professor with the Department of Sociology at William Paterson University. Dr. Pumar now joins SCU to, in his words, “work with wonderful and productive scholars and to continue promoting sociology.”

Says Professor Emeritus Dr. Francisco Jiménez, who most recently held the Fay Boyle Chair, “He is an accomplished scholar and an effective teacher. I am very pleased that he has joined our University community.”

In addition to his academic duties, Dr. Pumar serves as a regular contributor to major news media outlets including, among others, CNN, Telemundo, and The Washington Post to name a few. Recently he appeared on Voice of America and CNN, as well a Venezuelan news station, as a commentator on the October 2017 shooting massacre in Las Vegas. In the interviews, he discussed the social factors behind the crime and how the profile of the alleged gunman deviated from other perpetrators, in that the gunman was wealthy, successful, and apparently well-integrated into society.

Pumar’s scholarship include patterns of immigration and adaptation, urban policy, and ethnic relations. He was recently honored as a Faculty Expert Fulbright Scholar at The University of Valladolid, Spain, where he lectured and established a collaborative study of migration. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Ecclesiastical Institute in Padre Felix Valera in Havana, Cuba, where he was invited to lead the first seminar on how to conduct research projects following ethical principles embedded in Catholic Social Teaching.

Pumar’s favorite part of his job as an educator is interacting with his students. He firmly believes that education is a vehicle for students to live a fulfilling and accomplished life, believing in “working hard and staying humble.” As the new chair of Sociology, Dr. Pumar is eager to create a more visual presence within the University, increasing the number of students and faculty in Sociology, forming strong relationships with other departments, and creating new courses and opportunities, both for Sociology students and students of other disciplines. He hopes students see him “as a first-generation college graduate who worked very hard to get to [his] position” as well as an example of what they can achieve with “dedication, honesty, and commitment.” Dr. Pumar plans to lecture one class per quarter, helping to create a community where students can grow and excel.

Dr. Pumar has authored many articles and has contributed as editor for several books about patterns of adaptation in multi-ethnic immigrant communities. Most recently, he published an article on the question of social trust among individual ethnic groups, for which he coined the term, “Cascading Trust.” Other recent articles have explored Cuban policy reforms and the relationship between second-generation immigrant crime problems and adaptation. He’s currently writing a book comparing different immigrant communities in Europe and the United States, looking at how governments respond to the flow of migration.

Outside of his academic pursuits Dr. Pumar enjoys the arts; he’s a fan of classical music and the theater. He also enjoys walks with his family, college football and relaxing at the beach. If he weren’t in academia he would be involved with his other passions, architecture and planning, or possibly even music.