Dean Manderscheid's Blog

I’m pleased to announce that I am launching a new kind of communications campaign, which will celebrate “Academic Stars” among the faculty, students and staff in the college. My goal is to enhance unity among the diverse departments that make up the college, reach out to friends of the college with engaging success stories, and celebrate the achievements of our outstanding folks with celebrations worthy of U2 or The Beatles.

Our first stars are Eileen Hebets and the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. Hebets, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences, actively involves students of all levels - especially undergraduates - in her research on evolution and diversification of animal communication systems. She has received a prestigious Career grant from the National Science Foundation, and this spring, she received the Harold and Esther Edgerton Young Faculty Award from the university, in recognition of her outstanding teaching and research.

Our other inaugural star is the team behind the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. This unit spans the University Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences, and engages faculty, staff and students who are defining new paradigms for scholarly research in the humanities. They are using the World Wide Web and other alternative media to publish their research in new and exciting ways.

You can nominate a future Star right here on the college Web site. Here’s your chance to recognize a professor, student or staff member of the College of Arts & Sciences who is making a difference on campus… and beyond.

Classes start in a week but already the campus is beginning to buzz. There is more traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, and my email inbox is beeping at me more often. There was even a hint of fall in the air when I went for my morning bike ride yesterday. I love this time of year. It is a time of vision and hope for what can be. I hope everyone has a wonderful school year.