Chip Oscarson, dean of the College of Humanities, is pleased to announce that Stephen Tuttle has assumed the role of English Department chair effective July 1, 2026. Tuttle succeeds Deborah Dean, who has served as English Department chair since 2023.
“Those who have worked with Steve know how deeply committed he is to his colleagues,” says Oscarson. “He is an empathetic listener and a judicious leader who privileges both transparency and fairness in his administrative decisions.”
Tuttle completed an MFA in 2002 and a PhD in literature and creative writing in 2006, both through the University of Utah. He has been part of BYU faculty since 2006, contributing expertise in creative writing, fiction writing, and American literature as both professor and researcher. While Tuttle has presented at conferences and published in many literary venues, he’s found the greatest reward to be the successes of his students. He says, “When students have gone on to teach or publish, that feels colossal. It’s extremely rewarding to have played a small part in their development as a teacher or writer.”
Throughout his time at BYU, Tuttle says the English Department and university faculty as a whole have been nurturing and supportive of his endeavors. He says, “the people who are working alongside us, whose work we don’t often see, are just incredible.” As department chair, Tuttle is eager to continue supporting faculty’s work, and he feels that his colleagues “have impressive energy to help their students, start initiatives, and do really great work at BYU.”
The people who are working alongside us, whose work we don’t often see, are just incredible.
Oscarson emphasizes the College’s gratitude to outgoing chair Deborah Dean for “offering extraordinary service to the English Department in a time of transition and change at the university.” He says, “She has a deep love for her colleagues in the department and has advocated and worked for them tirelessly in so many ways both seen and unseen. Again and again during her tenure, she demonstrated a combination of experience, insight, and wisdom that is unique at the university.”
The BYU College of Humanities offers 35 diverse programs devoted to culture, creativity, and critical thinking. Currently, nearly 2,000 undergraduate students are majoring within the College, with an additional 2,200+ earning a minor.