Joice Chang

As interim Associate Dean, my areas of oversight include the following: student concerns, student petitions, new program development, curriculum processes, program review, scheduling, enrollment management.

Before joining the Dean’s office in July 2025, I served as the chair of the Department of Politics for three years. I have also served on various department, college, and university committees. I am also the campus pre-law advisor for all Humboldt students. 

I received a joint Ph.D. in public policy and political science from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Prior to joining the faculty at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2013, I was a visiting assistant professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, as well as a research analyst with the Indiana University Public Policy Institute. I hold a J.D from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and a B.S. from UC Berkeley.

Broadly, my research focuses on law, policy, and the environment. Some examples of my research include: the impacts of environmental voluntary programs on facility compliance and regulatory behaviors, social construction of disability as a stigma and its effects on American case law, and impacts of a regulatory patchwork of state laws on the future of coal ash. I also work on various interdisciplinary research projects with wonderful colleagues in different fields. 

I have taught courses in areas of law and policy, legal processes, American politics, environmental policy and politics, and research methods. My teaching interests are primarily in the areas of law, policy, the environment, and research methods.