Greetings everyone, and welcome to the start of Academic Year 2026–2027!
I hope you had a chance over the summer to rest, recharge, spend time with family and friends, travel, or simply do something that wasn't related to your email inbox!
There is truly something about the beginning of a new academic year that feels like a reset; a chance to take stock of where we are, think about where we want to go, and begin again with a new group of students and new possibilities.
This year feels particularly significant for us. We are beginning the year as the College of Sciences and Humanities. With the addition of the School of Communication Studies, the School of Information, and the Park Management Program, we are a different college than we were a year ago. We are larger, broader, and bring together an extraordinary range of disciplines, perspectives, and expertise. I think that gives us something really important: opportunity.
Our new structure creates opportunities to connect fields that might not traditionally have worked together, develop innovative academic programs, expand research collaborations, and create new experiences for our students at the intersection of science, health, technology, communication, and the humanities.
Last year, I also heard clearly from many of you that you wanted, and needed, more communication from the college. You asked us to do a better job of keeping you informed about what is happening across the college, sharing accomplishments, explaining our priorities, and creating more opportunities to hear from one another. We listened, and we are acting on that feedback.
This newsletter is one of the first steps. It is intended to become a regular way for us to share what is happening across the College of Sciences and Humanities, celebrate the work of our faculty, staff, and students, and keep you connected to the larger college community. Most importantly, we want this to be a conversation, not simply another communication coming from the dean's office. We want to hear from you, too, and we welcome your ideas about what you would like to see and learn about in future issues.
And as we begin this new chapter, we also have a great deal to celebrate. At university convocation and the Dean's Welcome, our college welcomed 900+ new golden flashes to the college. The class of 2030 lit up the MACC blue and gold at their first official academic ceremony.
