Fall has arrived and despite the unseasonably warm temperatures recently, dwindling daylight can only mean one thing: winter is on its way! It is hard to believe that we are fast approaching the end of the fall term. Midterms have passed and students are working hard to finish strong.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, the College is on the move. Over the last several weeks I have been meeting with departmental faculty around the College. I have been sharing all of the wonderful initiatives that are underway and my excitement over the future of the College. I continue to be impressed with the enthusiasm and energy of the faculty and staff and the strong collective desire to coalesce our excellent faculty, hardworking and talented staff, and engaged students into a truly excellent College. If you are interested in reading about some of the ongoing academic initiatives, please visit our Academic Initiatives blog site.
Also in the news, last month the University announced a $500 million comprehensive campaign. The money raised will go to support student scholarships and to endow professorships that will allow UVM to attract and retain the most talented scholar-teachers. Remarkably, President Sullivan announced at the opening of the campaign that nearly half of the goal had already been met! The College of Arts and Sciences is one of the beneficiaries of this enormous generosity of alumni and friends. Eugene and Joan Kalkin generously provided $1 million to fund a professorship in Jewish Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. Eugene graduated in the Class of 1950 and served as a UVM Trustee and as the first Chairman of the UVM Foundation Board of Directors. Joan is also a former UVM trustee and is a longtime member of the Fleming Museum Board of Advisors. Their gift will help us to attract and retain a scholar of Jewish Studies for this exciting new minor.
The week of November 2nd saw our second annual “Undeclared Major Week.” This week of workshops, student and faculty panels, and open classes is designed to help our undecided students explore our vast offerings of majors and minors so they can find an area of study that supports their passion and learning goals. The week was enormously successful and my heart-felt thanks go out to our student services team for the energy and enthusiasm that made the events possible.
Of course, all of these and other efforts would not be possible without talented and enthusiastic faculty, staff, and alumni. Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and get caught up on what’s happening in the College. This is an exciting time, and if you are in a position to help us, please let me know.
Be well.
Bill Falls
Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences