Dr. Sarah Pessin is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Denver (DU). The recipient of an ACE Fellowship, Sarah also works as a part-time director with Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence having served as a program director in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences from 2008-2019.

After serving as the Chair of the Faculty Senate’s Academic Planning Committee for three years, Sarah served as the Faculty Senate President (2020-2022) and was awarded an inaugural award for Shared Governance (2022). In support of her work on civic connection, she has also received grants from the Mellon Foundation, the Council of Independent Colleges, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and others.

In her interdisciplinary research, Sarah engages intertwined topics in civics, ethics, dialogue across difference, “hard hope,” coexistence, and meaning-making. She is also a collage artist and poet who enjoys performing stand-up comedy and writing about politics and hope on medium.com.

She is author of nearly 100 research publications and has delivered over 250 presentations and she holds a PhD in Philosophy from The Ohio State University and an MA in Philosophy from Columbia University.