The Dean is chief academic adviser to the approximately 420 undergraduates assigned to Jonathan Edwards College. Residing within the college, he is responsible for comprehensive student advising across 80 majors from matriculation to graduation on a range of academic and personal issues. He assists students in all matters concerning their academic programs, applies and enforces the Academic and Undergraduate Regulations that govern student behavior, and works in conjunction with the Registrar’s Office and the Yale College Dean’s Office. As the supervisor of JE’s college advising program, he manages about 50 Fellows (faculty and administrators) in their roles as advisers for JE’s first-year students. As needed, he refers students to resources, offices, or persons that can be of assistance to them, and actively collaborates with these sources of support and counseling. He writes letters of recommendation for fellowships or postgraduate-work or study. He also teaches one course a year, serves on a range of University committees, and coordinates a variety of college activities. The Dean is also a great resource for a wide range of other matters and advises students on everything from personal crises to post-graduation plans. In cases of incapacitating illness or family emergency, the Dean has the authority to postpone deadlines for academic work or final exams.
Dean Yaser S. Robles
Yaser S. Robles joins Jonathan Edwards College (JE) from Choate Rosemary Hall, where he dedicated nine years to teaching in the History, Religion, Philosophy & Social Sciences (HPRSS) departments. At Choate, he also served as a Form Dean for the classes of 2022 and 2024, and as Dean of Students for the Summer Program.
Born in a small village in Honduras and raised in the South Bronx, New York City, Dean Robles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and Political Science from Brandeis University. He pursued his Master’s degree at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), in conjunction with la Universidad de la Habana, Cuba, and Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. He completed his Ph.D. in Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Cultural Studies at the University at Albany (SUNY).
Before his tenure at Choate Rosemary Hall, Dean Robles taught at various institutions of higher education including the University at Albany (SUNY), College at Oneonta (SUNY), and Bronx Community College (CUNY). His academic research focuses on Cuba, Brazil, the broader Caribbean, and Central America, with his Ph.D. dissertation exploring the Honduran government and society during the Cold War Era, drawing from in-depth interviews and archival research in Honduras.
Dean Robles’s scholarly contributions include his collaboration on “Dynamics of Community Formation: Developing Identity and Notions of Home” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), which examines the formation, evolution, and dismantling of community spaces crucial for social cohesion. Currently, he is writing a book on the Honduran migrant experience in the United States, viewed through the lens of his mother’s experiences.
Residing at the dean’s residence in Jonathan Edwards College, Dean Robles is accompanied by his wife, Tâmara Robles and their two young children, Luca, and Maya.
