Dean's Messages Archive

Greetings from a particularly cold and snowy Happy Valley. While a foot of snow and several days of sub-zero temperatures obviously caused some disruptions to school and work schedules, there is something to be said for a good old-fashioned “snow day.” If you were affected by the recent storm, I hope you and your families stayed safe and warm.

It is fitting at the beginning of a calendar year to look ahead – and at Penn State, we have been looking ahead at the next five years. We recently wrapped up the college’s new five-year strategic plan, which includes input from faculty and staff members, students, and many alumni and friends. Thank you to those who participated in our strategic planning workshops during the fall semester. Your input was invaluable.

You can see the final plan on our dedicated strategic plan website. Our new plan has five strategic goals. Below I highlight one goal in particular:

Build a culture of collaboration within and beyond the college that strengthens trust,
connection, and belonging across A&A’s people, partnerships, and programs.

As alumni and friends of college, you are key to this goal. Through your involvement as volunteers, mentors, guest speakers, hosts for class visits and internships, and financial supporters – among other examples – you facilitate the type of collaboration that sets our students up for success. Setting students up for success, while they are with us at University Park and after they graduate, is a key part of the Arts and Architecture plan, and is part of Penn State’s strategic plan as well.

We rely on alumni and friends to help students make the transition from student life on campus to the professional sector or to graduate school. When you serve as mentors for our current students, and facilitate connections for them, you make their pursuit of professional goals beyond their time in the college a bit less intimidating. Thank you.

As always, our college calendar is full, so if you find yourself on campus in the coming months, I encourage you to catch a show or concert, check out an exhibition, or experience one of our guest lectures. There is always something exciting happening in Arts and Architecture.

Thank you for your support. I hope to see you on campus soon.