Message from the Vice President and Dean
Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences—a "CLAS" act at the heart of a great and large public university. With more than 17,000 students and 60 academic and research units, we are virtually a university within a university. The breadth of expertise, research and scholarship in the college is breathtaking. We span the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences, and we are leading innovators in programs and academic units that are transdisciplinary and defy traditional classification. The college embodies the New American University's values of excellence, access and impact in all that we do.
We take great pride in preparing students for success in life as well as career by providing a foundation of “literacies” that meet the rapidly changing demands of modern society. Such areas of competency range from quantitative and critical-reasoning skills, verbal and written communication to science and information technology “literacy.”
The faculty, administration and staff of the college wake up every day with a mission in mind: the success of every student. We are committed to providing an accessible excellent education and we are creative and tireless in this pursuit. One of the greatest strengths of our student body is its remarkable diversity. This, too, presents unique challenges. There are no simple or single answers, no silver bullets to student success. Instead we rely on a dynamic ongoing “experiment” to offer equally diverse solutions.
I challenge every student in the college to take an active role in the success of his or her fellow students. Every student has the potential to exhibit such leadership. The ways in which you can contribute are limited only by your imagination, energy and time. Student success transcends academics; students must feel a part of the college and ASU community if they are to thrive. Thus, student engagement in success may range from study groups and mentoring programs to social events, clubs and other activities that engage students in our community. Please visit the college Web site and take the PEER Challenge, get involved, be a leader in the campus community and help forge an environment that is at once nurturing and challenging.
I also challenge alumni and friends of the college to get involved. We need your ideas, your energy and your support. The impact of gifts to the college is profound, whether they enrich the experience of one student through a scholarship, take a gifted faculty scholar or researcher to a new level of accomplishment, or infuse transformative vision and capacity to one of our cutting-edge schools, departments, centers or institutes. I am so fortunate to be at ASU. To be in an institution that accepts no limitations, that envisages a future as open as a desert vista, and that dares to dream big.
To faculty and staff, thank you for making this one of the most successful years in our college’s rich history and for keeping us at the leading edge of the emerging New American University. To students, thank you for the privilege of helping you realize your dreams and potential. And to alumni, donors and friends, thank you for elevating our stature through your successes, your vision and your generosity. I look forward to the challenges of a new year and the opportunity to further advance a most remarkable college and university.
Quentin Wheeler
University Vice President and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
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