Fall 2023 Update

CLAS community,

Great things are truly happening in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as we kick off the third year of our strategic plan.

We had a banner year for research and discovery, setting a record for both total funding at $118 million and total proposed funding at $151 million. Our colleagues in the CLAS Grant Support Office are doing phenomenal work to support our faculty in their research focus. Large facility improvement projects are also underway to improve research infrastructure and spaces for performing arts, in addition to a new $250 million Health Sciences Academic Building on the west side of campus to house CSD and HHP.  

CLAS faculty are doing excellent work and making significant impacts in their areas. Over the last year, many of our faculty earned prestigious awards and fellowships for their research and creative work, and we invested in the hiring of talented new faculty in areas of strategic importance.

We continue to strengthen and support undergraduate and graduate education. We are repositioning and growing academic advising, providing mental health training, increasing academic outreach, and implementing our new options for the world languages requirement.

Building community and capacity is key as we seek to reinvigorate CLAS. Our people continue to personify the promise of our mission, delivering transformative education enhanced by excellence in research, scholarship, and creativity.

Thank you for your work and contributions to our community. With your help, I look forward to advancing our college for the benefit of our students, faculty, and staff and positioning CLAS better and stronger for future generations.

I’m proud of our progress and grateful for the work we are doing together.

Sara Sanders, PhD, MSW
Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences