Yale Updates: Beyoncé Course Launch, Leadership Changes, Faculty Honors, Football Preview, and Russia Ban

Good afternoon, Yale community. Today is Monday, August 18, 2025, and here are the latest updates from our campus. Starting with the weather, it's currently mostly cloudy in New Haven, with temperatures around 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Expect a high of 78 degrees later today, with a chance of showers around 1 PM. In academic news, Yale is set to offer a new course titled "Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music." Taught by Professor Daphne Brooks from the African American Studies department, the course will explore Beyoncé's work from her 2013 self-titled album to her recent "Cowboy Carter" album. Students will analyze how Beyoncé's music addresses social and political ideologies within the Black radical intellectual tradition. The class is expected to be highly popular, though enrollment will be limited. Turning to administrative updates, Dean Heather Gerken of Yale Law School has announced she will step down from her role in August 2025 to become the next president of the Ford Foundation. Gerken has served as the 17th dean since 2017 and will begin her tenure at the Ford Foundation in November 2025. In faculty achievements, Professor Oona A. Hathaway has been elected President-Elect of the American Society of International Law. She will begin her two-year term as president in 2026. Additionally, Hathaway has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. She was also named a Berlin Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin and awarded the Berlin Prize. On the athletic front, the Yale Bulldogs football team is gearing up for the 2025 season under the leadership of Head Coach Tony Reno, now in his 13th year. The Ivy League preseason poll, released on August 4, has placed Yale in the third position. The team is preparing for their opening game against Holy Cross, with high hopes for a strong season. In international news, Russian authorities have declared Yale University an "undesirable" organization, banning its activities within Russia. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office stated that the university's activities are aimed at "violating the territorial integrity of Russia" and "destabilizing the socio-economic and political situation." That's all for today's updates. Stay informed and engaged, Yale.