“Our purpose as a college is to ensure the success of each and every one of our students," said College of Arts and Sciences Dean John A. Pelesko at the 13th annual State of the College event on Tuesday, October 18. He noted the institution-wide impact of the College. “With our special responsibility as the foundational college of the University, with our impact on every student at UD through our classroom instruction, through the supports we provide, and through the co-curricular opportunities we create, we embrace our common purpose of ensuring student success," he said.
The event, which was held in Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts, also was livestreamed for those who couldn't attend in person. It began with a short performance by the Calidore String Quartet, which is currently in residence in the College of Arts & Sciences. Pelesko made note of the quartet's upcoming performances in Florence in November and Carnegie Hall in December.
Special guests included UD Provost Laura Carlson, who joined the University in June and also has joined the College of Arts and Sciences as a faculty member in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Other special guests included Darelle Riabov, chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Advisory Council, and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean George Watson.
In his address, Pelesko noted that it's not the buildings, regulations or even academic programs that make up the College, but rather the people. “The College of Arts and Sciences is a group of people with a common sense of purpose, a common commitment to the success of our students, a common commitment to excellence in all forms of scholarship and creative expression and a common commitment to creating an environment where all learners, whether they're called students, or faculty, or staff, or alumni, are welcomed and valued," he said.
He highlighted seven faculty members whose work in the classroom exemplifies this commitment to a common purpose of student success. This group was recently featured in a series of articles in UDaily called “How I teach" and include Nike Olabisi, Delice Williams, Dawn Berk, Kassra Oskooii, Victor Perez, Agnes Ly and Darryl Flaherty.
Pelesko also cited examples of innovation in the classroom, such as the work of faculty members Rachael Hutchinson and Phillip Penix-Tadsen to develop Game Studies & E-Sports, one of the College's fastest growing degree programs. This interdisciplinary program embraces a range of student interests, engaging aspiring writers, artists, musicians, engineers, and others. He also referenced the work of Jodi Hadden-Perilla, who in partnership with UD's Office of Disability Support Services, has developed tactile displays to allow blind students, like her former undergraduate research student Olivia Shaw, to study computational chemistry by feeling the shapes of molecules.
The College's unwavering commitment to student success also can be seen in Project Brain Light, a program developed by graduate students in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences to introduce middle schoolers, especially those underrepresented in the STEM professions, to the field of neuroscience.
“The College of Arts & Sciences is firmly committed to its common values and to the highest level of excellence in all forms of scholarship and creative expression," said Pelesko. He cited as an example Joe Fox, who is professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Recently, the Nobel Committee for Chemistry announced its 2022 Nobel Prizes and cited the work of Fox as among the scientific advances underpinning the work of this year's Nobel prize winners. Fox and his team's research on the development of a chemical reaction called tetrazine ligation constituted an important piece of the foundational chemistry behind the work of the 2022 Nobel prize winners.
The greatest distinguishing feature of the College is that “every member of our community…cares deeply, and it shows," said Pelesko. He cited as an example faculty member Pam Cook, recent recipient of UD's Medal of Distinction, who, during her 40 years at UD was an advocate for the mentorship and development of her colleagues and the advancement of equity across campus. Her work as the principal investigator of a multi-million-dollar NSF ADVANCE grant, focused on recruiting and retaining an excellent and diverse pool of talented faculty has transformed the entire campus community.
The College community's spirit also is displayed in challenging times, such as last year, when an incident of gender-based violence took place that deeply affected many at UD. Faculty and staff from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence sprang into action to quickly connect the campus community with much needed resources.
This spirit also shows when the College community is impacted by tragic world events, such as the February invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Faculty and staff from the Departments of Political Science and International Relations; Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; History, and Anthropology provided information and educational programming on the complexities and myriad impacts of this invasion.
