Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences

August 13, 2012

Welcome students, faculty, parents, alumni, and staff to a new year at the College of Arts and Sciences.  To our incoming freshmen, congratulations, you are the most selective group of undergraduates ever admitted to the University of Miami. You will join undergraduate and graduate students who have achieved some of the highest honors bestowed upon young scholars, including Goldwater scholarships, Fulbright fellowships, and research awards from the National Science Foundation. Leading our outstanding students are impressive faculty who provide guidance in the classroom while performing groundbreaking research. To our new faculty members, we are proud that you will enhance those critical missions and bring new perspectives to our vibrant college.

Several important new initiatives within the college will strengthen undergraduate education, enhance student experiences, and deliver new options for advanced study. Starting this year, undergraduates will benefit from expanded language, math and writing courses, ensuring that more students can enroll in their chosen core curriculum requirements.  New minors in Arabic Studies and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies offer opportunities to examine and understand cultural issues. Accelerated programs in Biology and Computer Science also provide students a new 5-year plan to obtain both bachelor’s and master’s degrees while gaining valuable research experience. Coupled with comprehensive curricula, hands-on instruction, and community engagement, these new opportunities will help our talented students expand learning opportunities and achieve long after graduation.

Our faculty are dedicated to cultivating insight and finding solutions for the world’s most important questions. New faculty members study essential topics in our society, including critical languages, interfaith relations, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. They join almost 500 colleagues who research across a broad spectrum of disciplines and share their insight within the classroom, among their peers, and in our community. Innovation and collaboration among our faculty ensures that the college will continue to foster vital research and discovery.

The college’s commitment to education and research extends far beyond the campus gates. In 2012-13, we will lead the university’s yearlong celebration of the humanities and arts. Lectures from celebrated academics, artists, and authors, theatrical performances, and art exhibits will highlight the dynamic roles that the liberal arts play in our world. Service learning classes will put students and faculty to work on civic issues including literacy, language, and education, and new digital initiatives will provide broader access to university resources and research.

Welcome, all, to a new year in the College of Arts and Sciences. We are a united group of scholars, students, and graduates across diverse disciplines who are dedicated to critical thought, creativity and global understanding. At the start of a new year, I invite you to join our pursuit of these ideals. Together, we will solve current challenges and shape tomorrow’s leaders. Our journey begins today.

 

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October 18, 2012 — Supporting Student Engagement

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May 11, 2011 — Celebrating Our Success