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Welcome from the Dean

Welcome to the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. 2006 promises to be a very exciting year for the College as it continues its path of strategic growth, committed, engaged teaching, and research excellence.

The College of Humanities and Sciences is central to the academic life of the University. Last fall more than 14,000 undergraduate majors and graduate students made the College their academic home. In addition, the College provides a significant portion of the general education for most of the other undergraduate majors. Our faculty is dedicated to providing VCU students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to flourish in the global society of the 21 st century.

As 2006 begins, we have had some very exciting developments in our programs.

• We have received notice that VCU’s graduate program in forensic science received full accreditation making it one of only four fully accredited graduate programs in forensic science in the country.

• The Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness was approved, making VCU the first major research university in the country to offer such a program.

• The Ph.D. in Media, Art, and Text results from a collaboration between the Department of English, the School of the Arts and the School of Mass Communications. This is one of the country’s cutting-edge programs and answers the need for innovative, nontraditional programs in the arts and humanities.

• The VCU Adcenter was recognized as the number one advertising program in the nation.

• The departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics continue to produce outstanding research and funding. In 2005, junior faculty members have received grants from the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society, while junior and senior faculty members have distinguished themselves with publications in significant journals such as Science and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

• The VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development was one of eight centers recently designated a National Academic Center of Excellence in youth violence prevention by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Institute, which includes faculty members from the Wilder School and the departments of Psychology, Psychiatry and Community Health, received a five-year grant of $4.3 million from the CDC to address issues related to youth violence.

Faculty members throughout the College continue to generate significant scholarship and receive external funding through their excellent research efforts. In 2005, our faculty obtained prestigious grants from such funding agents as the National Institutes of Health, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright organization, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Department of Energy. Similarly, during the 2004-05 academic year dozens of faculty members throughout the College wrote or edited books in academic and creative venues, receiving positive reviews in such publications as the New York Times.

We look forward to the possibilities of 2006:

• The renovation of the Hibbs Building on Shafer Street is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2006. When completed, this project will enable us to more fully meet the academic needs of our students with renovated classrooms and new space for student services.

• The College will host the 2006-07 NEH Year Award, funded by the University Honors College, presenting a year-long series of speakers, panels and curriculum on the topic “ Humanities for the 21st Century: Creating and Consuming Culture in the Digital Age.”

• The College and the Office of the President, to highlight the important role of the humanities at VCU, are sponsoring two exciting programs: “ Discovering New Worlds: Before and After Jamestown , 1607 ,” designed by the Department of History, and “ Science, Reason and Faith,” a collaborative effort from the Department of Philosophy and VCU Life Sciences.

• The College continues a broad range of research, teaching and service in collaboration with the community. Faculty and units across the college are involved in working with schools and teachers to strengthen K-12 education, and we are completing a comprehensive planning process within the College that will help us strengthen and enhance our work with the community.

• Our Biology, Chemistry and Physics departments, along with Mathematics and Statistical Sciences, continue their collaborative efforts with VCU Life Sciences and the School of Engineering to promote the focus on nanoscale materials and applications.

As we move into 2006, the year presents an opportunity for further achievement from our superb faculty, staff and students. Working together to create new programs, to share our knowledge and to continue to recruit excellent faculty members, we will realize our tremendous potential. I invite you to join us.

Best wishes for a successful 2006!

Robert D. Holsworth
Acting Dean