Welcome to the September issue of CLASS, the College’s monthly update of news and events.

This issue of our newsletter coincides with the beginning of a new academic year and presents us with an opportunity to welcome our new students and faculty to the College and the university. We are equally delighted to welcome back our returning students and faculty who we trust had a productive and fulfilling summer away from campus.

The beginning of fall semester is an especially exciting time at the university. The campus comes alive with students eager to begin or resume the serious business of obtaining a college education. In the course of their studies at the university, we know that they will find their classes in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) some of the most fulfilling that they will take, perhaps not in achieving specific career goals but in making them well-rounded and productive human beings. In CLASS, our mission is to instill in students a respect for critical thinking, the development of interpretive skills, a reverence for the power of imagination, and respect for what constitutes healthy living.

Our faculty are some of the finest scholars and teachers in the country who are devoted to the values of excellence in higher education. This year, we are particularly proud to welcome a number of new faculty who come to us eager to engage students in their classes and to contribute to knowledge in their fields through their research and writings. In this issue of CLASS, you will meet many of our new faculty and learn about the particular expertise that they bring to the university. In the next issue, we will introduce you to the rest of our new faculty and share with you highlights of their intellectual backgrounds.

Throughout the year, I hope that you will continue to look for CLASS News, the College's monthly newsletter, and to CLASS, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, to discover the latest activities and news about people and programs in the arts, humanities and social sciences on campus. As a college, CLASS is committed to a set of core values, which include a global outlook, continual striving for excellence, and a commitment to an inclusive and diverse culture that empowers people. Our goal is to maintain a vibrant environment that engenders in students the desire to be lifelong learners, transforms innovative ideas into reality, and impacts the world around us.