the oldest department of its kind in the United States. Under his leadership, the department recruited new faculty from Asia as well as Africa. Additionally, Dirks supported research in colonial and postcolonial studies. Dirks published his second book, Castes of Mind, in 2001.

In 2004, Dirks became a full-time administrator at Columbia, serving as Vice President, and later, Executive Vice President, of the Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty. This enabled him "to promote interdisciplinary