Academics in the Spotlight: College of Arts and Sciences

Committed to nurturing discovery and learning in a broad array of disciplines, the College of Arts and Sciences combines a strong academic foundation with varied learning opportunities for students, who work with faculty, study around the globe, and pursue their intellectual passions.
This year, 32 new professors joined the College, bringing additional expertise and strength to its educational mission.

Associate Dean Jacqueline Dixon, a professor of geological sciences, was named interim dean of College of Arts and Sciences this past summer. Dixon was hired in 1992 in Marine Geology and Geophysics at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and held a joint appointment until 2006. She is the former director of the undergraduate program of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. In fall 2006, Dixon was appointed senior associate dean for the life and physical sciences. Her goals as interim dean include ensuring that students are actively engaged in scholarship, and moving forward in the strengthening of the College's intellectual community.

The College's Freshman Seminars, reintroduced this year, provided first-year students with direct faculty interaction and a collaborative learning process with fellow students in a small-class setting. The seminars offer freshman the opportunity to study with a select group of faculty members the subjects of the faculty members' interest -ranging this year from the role of oil in the global economy to the study of extreme weather events.

Also, the College's Center for the Humanities was established to support humanities, arts, and interpretive social science research and teaching. The center also seeks to nurture an awareness of the importance of the humanities for a more informed understanding of our own and other cultures. Through lectures, conferences, seminars, interdisciplinary research groups, and workshops, scholars will present their work, and stimulate public awareness and debate. Students will participate in a variety of events. The center's Web site, www.humanities.miami.edu, features a calendar of on-campus humanities events, as well as scholarly discussions and commentary about the arts. We welcome you to attend the official launch of the Center for Humanities featuring a series of events beginning on November 4th with celebrated author Marjorie Garber, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of English and of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University.

Among many other interesting new opportunities for students in the College this year include our "Beyond the Book" scholarship program, designed to enable undergraduate students to pursue intensive learning beyond the traditional classroom experience. Opportunities include, but are not limited to, lab research, archaeological field work, and archival studies. The deadline for the scholarship is January 1, 2010. More information is available at http://www.as.miami.edu/undergraduate/beyondthebook.
Other new classes at the College were the introduction of UGalilee, a semester of study in Israel that combines classroom lectures with field work. Students enrolled in courses taught by UM and Israeli faculty. The focus of the program is the history, geography, archaeology, cultures and religions that evolved in the Galilee over the ages. In addition, the Department of Art & Art History offered students ArtLab @ The Lowe, a class in which art students guest-curate an exhibit at the Lowe Art Museum. We encourage you to visit our Web site to stay connected to the College throughout the year.