Welcome from Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Dean of UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences

I’m happy to report that Academic Year 2013-2014 brought us a myriad of accomplishments and proud memories. Of the 2,598 UVM bachelor-level graduates, 1,193 (or 45.9% of the total) were CAS students. The most subscribed majors were Psychology (179), Political Science (125), and English (124), with Biology (103), History (102), Environmental Studies (76), and Economics (71) next behind. Our College was also represented among those who graduated from the Honors College, making 47%, or 50 of the total 105. We also had a substantial number of students receiving master's (47 of 330) and doctoral (29 of 112) degrees.

Commencement was fantastic this year.  After a rainy week and fears the ceremony would be moved inside, Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day with bright blue skies, no humidity, and temperatures that kept everyone cool but comfortable. The morning commencement speaker Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, told nearly 3,000 UVM students receiving diplomas that they, too, can make a difference in the world.  Her commencement speech can be watched here on YouTube, or you can read her comments here.

Leading up to Commencement was our Honors Ceremony, which was held on Friday, May 16th in Ira Allen.  Earlier in the week, the new College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board met for the first time. They gathered with faculty and students for a dinner in Billings and then had a full day of meetings to discuss the strategic direction of the College and begin work to advance initiatives in student success, excellence in teaching, and the role of the Arts and Sciences mission within the contemporary UVM community. The CAS Board of Advisors includes Richard Ader '63, Adam Clymer (parent), Barbara Diette '80, David Godkin ’77, Jerold Jacobson ’62, Eugene Kalkin ’50, Will Kies (M.A. ’04), Barbara Mieder (friend), Dan Newcomb ’65, Robert Rosen ’90, Bob Small (parent), Kyla Sternlieb ’06, and Adam Strochak ’87.

The Board of Trustees met that week as well and approved the funding for completing the architectural design of the proposed $104 million STEM (science, technology, math, and engineering) complex, bringing the project, the largest in UVM history, one step closer to groundbreaking.  This project will greatly enhance the Chemistry and Physics departments in CAS.  Phase one, the razing of Angell Lecture Hall and the construction of a new laboratory, research, and teaching building to take its place, will begin in May 2015 and be completed in December 2016. The deconstruction of Cook Physical Science will begin in January of 2017, with its replacement, a new office and classroom facility, to be completed in June 2018. The renovation of Votey Hall will take place throughout the project’s timeline.

The year left us with a number of noteworthy accomplishments by our faculty. I will just highlight two who both received recognition in the journal Science: 

• UVM Geology Professor Paul Bierman led an international team of scientists to Greenland where they were stunned to discover an ancient tundra landscape frozen under two miles of ice. It’s been there for three million years—and may lead geologists to rethink how Greenland’s big ice works. They reported this very important discovery in the journal Science.
• UVM Biology Professor and ecologist Nick Gotelli and his colleagues examined 6.1 million records covering 35,613 species — from Arctic tundra to the South Seas, including mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants — expecting to find many places with species counts in freefall. Instead, they discovered something unexpected: a kind of rapid global species mash-up, as they report in the journal Science.

Finally, we completed the first phase of our strategic initiatives.  The three subcommittees (Climate and Diversity, Faculty Success, and Student Experience) submitted their findings to me and they were also presented to the faculty. As the strategic planning progresses to its next stage, we will need skilled continuity in direction and leadership.  To that end, I am creating a new and necessary assignment in the Dean’s Office: the position of Director of Strategic Action Plans and Initiatives. I am very pleased to report that Professor Abby McGowan of the Department of History has accepted this very important assignment.  Abby will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the task of moving the strategic plan forward.  She will also bring balance and diversity to the leadership team in the Dean's office.

The new academic year is around the corner and we are already preparing for it with great hope and anticipation.   Enjoy your summer.