November 21, 2023
From the Desk of the Dean
November 21, 2023
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,
As we approach the Thanksgiving break, we have much to give thanks for, in no small part due to your hard work and dedication throughout the fall semester!
I would like to highlight accomplishments and initiatives of our six-point strategic vision we have championed for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) since July 2020.
1. Building interdisciplinary bridges within the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as between the College and all other schools at Loyola.
CAS is partnering with Arrupe College to create and permanently fund four full scholarships (tuition, room, and board) that will enable Arrupe College graduates to continue with their education in the College. Beginning in fall of 2024, two Arrupe College graduates will receive fully-funded scholarships from CAS, for a total of two-and-a-half years, to pursue either a BA or BS in CAS. Two additional Arrupe College graduates will then be funded starting in fall of 2025, such that at least four Arrupe College graduates will be funded at any given time.
The “Building CAS-Arrupe Bridges” scholarship initiative is the direct result of a presentation on Arrupe College that Father Thomas Neitzke, S.J., Dean of Arrupe College, and Jennifer Boyle, Associate Dean of Arrupe College, made to the CAS Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC), which is comprised of prominent alumni and donors. The Arrupe leadership team’s presentation on the amazing accomplishments happening in their college was nothing less than inspiring. There was unanimous sentiment from those in attendance that CAS and the DAC needed to play a leading role in creating and funding a CAS scholarship pipeline for Arrupe students to continue their academic pursuits. The net result is the CAS-Arrupe partnership, which we hope will inspire others as we seek to expand the number of scholarships available to Arrupe students.
2. Nurturing innovative program planning and development to ensure that the College remains at the forefront of emerging academic needs and challenges.
The College of Arts and Sciences has partnered with the Division of Student Development to foster greater collaboration between the two units as it relates to special programming for students. Our first collaboration involved co-hosting Alexander Chitungo, a stone sculptor from Zimbabwe in Southern Africa, as an Artist-in-Residence at Loyola, November 5 - 19. Alexander’s academic home was the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, where he engaged in guest lectures, an open studio for students, and broader collaborations with faculty. The culmination of Alexander’s visit was a dinner co-hosted by Keith M. Champagne, Vice President for Student Development, and myself that was attended by more than 50 members of the Loyola community.
3. Expanding engagement with alumni and donors who wish to be more deeply involved in the life of the College.
One of the most inspirational aspects of serving as Dean has been working with our amazing alumni and donors, who are involved with the College in a myriad of ways, ranging from giving their time as mentors to individual students to providing financial support for individual programs and initiatives.
An outstanding recent example was the Carbon Scholars luncheon in October, which celebrated the faculty-mentored research undertaken by nine undergraduate Carbon fellows, each of whom is funded over a two-year period by an endowment established by Michael and Dorothy Carbon. This outstanding program is based on the importance of building interdisciplinary bridges, not only between the various disciplines of the sciences, but between CAS and the School of Environmental Sustainability. Matching students with faculty mentors plays a key role in nurturing a passion for research among our amazing undergraduate students so that they can go on to careers dedicated to resolving the major scientific challenges of our times. We are profoundly grateful to our alumni and donors, including Michael and Dorothy Carbon, whose generosity enables the College and the School of Environmental Sustainability to undertake outstanding initiatives.
4. Promoting the pursuit of external grants that fund faculty and student research on the major issues of our times.
Our highly productive faculty are on track this year to obtain a record number of external grants thanks to our collective efforts to rethink and restructure how we incentivize the pursuit of external grants within the College. Outstanding recent examples from the Fall 2023 semester, which we have highlighted in our weekly Faculty Spotlights, include:
- Perla B. Gámez, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, $436,088 grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
- Kelvin Billingsley, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, $461,844 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH.
- Mohammed Abuhamad, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, $300,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
- Tatiana Esipova, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, $292,130 from the NSF.
These externally funded grant projects not only advance and deepen knowledge in academic fields across the College, but typically provide exciting opportunities for students to become involved in research.
5. Building international bridges to expand the numbers of our students who study abroad, international students who study in the College, and faculty and staff who engage in international collaborations.
We are involved in a host of activities designed to enhance the international footprint of the College. An excellent example involved providing full funding for six Chicago-based students from the College to participate in a Human Rights Symposium at the University of Warsaw in Poland this past October that focused on the human rights toll of the war in Ukraine. All six students were folded into the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) fall break trip to Poland, which coincided with the conference. This initiative was made possible thanks to impressive coordination among the Dean’s Office, the interdisciplinary Polish Studies program, the JFRC, the University of Warsaw, and our alumni, most notably John Kurowski, who has organized the symposium for nearly two decades. Over 200 students applied, demonstrating their hunger to engage in global experiences.
The six outstanding College of Arts and Sciences students selected for this experience included:
- Daria Komeza, Senior, Major in Psychology, Minor in Psychology of Crime & Justice
- Jacob Plaza, Senior, Majors in Data Science and Philosophy, and Interdisciplinary Honors Program
- Shelby Davinroy, Senior, Major in Global Studies, Minors in Military Science and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies
- Sophia Matheson, Senior, Major in Computer Engineering
- Thomas Hite, Senior, Major in Political Science, Minor in Military Science
- Zack Nkadi, Senior, Major in Computer Science
It is my firm belief as Dean that we, as a Loyola family, are much better persons for others when we are globally aware and connected.
6. Promoting a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students who are committed to social justice and equality for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
CAS is also a much better place when our programs and initiatives are reflective of the interests and needs of our diverse student body and our larger national and international communities.
The College has embraced this imperative as demonstrated by our annual Building Community Bridges scholarships, which we established and funded three years ago. These awards are provided to students from under-represented groups who are involved in community-building initiatives designed to advance diversity and inclusion initiatives either at Loyola or in other communities.
Congratulations to our 18 recipients, who inspire us all to strive every day in the pursuit of the Jesuit ideals of justice and service to others.
In sum, much is happening in the College of Arts and Sciences, for which we can be thankful as we enter the holiday season. I wish you a joyful and restful Thanksgiving break with family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Peter J. Schraeder, PhD
Professor and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Loyola University Chicago
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,
As we approach the Thanksgiving break, we have much to give thanks for, in no small part due to your hard work and dedication throughout the fall semester!
I would like to highlight accomplishments and initiatives of our six-point strategic vision we have championed for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) since July 2020.
1. Building interdisciplinary bridges within the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as between the College and all other schools at Loyola.
CAS is partnering with Arrupe College to create and permanently fund four full scholarships (tuition, room, and board) that will enable Arrupe College graduates to continue with their education in the College. Beginning in fall of 2024, two Arrupe College graduates will receive fully-funded scholarships from CAS, for a total of two-and-a-half years, to pursue either a BA or BS in CAS. Two additional Arrupe College graduates will then be funded starting in fall of 2025, such that at least four Arrupe College graduates will be funded at any given time.
The “Building CAS-Arrupe Bridges” scholarship initiative is the direct result of a presentation on Arrupe College that Father Thomas Neitzke, S.J., Dean of Arrupe College, and Jennifer Boyle, Associate Dean of Arrupe College, made to the CAS Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC), which is comprised of prominent alumni and donors. The Arrupe leadership team’s presentation on the amazing accomplishments happening in their college was nothing less than inspiring. There was unanimous sentiment from those in attendance that CAS and the DAC needed to play a leading role in creating and funding a CAS scholarship pipeline for Arrupe students to continue their academic pursuits. The net result is the CAS-Arrupe partnership, which we hope will inspire others as we seek to expand the number of scholarships available to Arrupe students.
2. Nurturing innovative program planning and development to ensure that the College remains at the forefront of emerging academic needs and challenges.
The College of Arts and Sciences has partnered with the Division of Student Development to foster greater collaboration between the two units as it relates to special programming for students. Our first collaboration involved co-hosting Alexander Chitungo, a stone sculptor from Zimbabwe in Southern Africa, as an Artist-in-Residence at Loyola, November 5 - 19. Alexander’s academic home was the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, where he engaged in guest lectures, an open studio for students, and broader collaborations with faculty. The culmination of Alexander’s visit was a dinner co-hosted by Keith M. Champagne, Vice President for Student Development, and myself that was attended by more than 50 members of the Loyola community.
3. Expanding engagement with alumni and donors who wish to be more deeply involved in the life of the College.
One of the most inspirational aspects of serving as Dean has been working with our amazing alumni and donors, who are involved with the College in a myriad of ways, ranging from giving their time as mentors to individual students to providing financial support for individual programs and initiatives.
An outstanding recent example was the Carbon Scholars luncheon in October, which celebrated the faculty-mentored research undertaken by nine undergraduate Carbon fellows, each of whom is funded over a two-year period by an endowment established by Michael and Dorothy Carbon. This outstanding program is based on the importance of building interdisciplinary bridges, not only between the various disciplines of the sciences, but between CAS and the School of Environmental Sustainability. Matching students with faculty mentors plays a key role in nurturing a passion for research among our amazing undergraduate students so that they can go on to careers dedicated to resolving the major scientific challenges of our times. We are profoundly grateful to our alumni and donors, including Michael and Dorothy Carbon, whose generosity enables the College and the School of Environmental Sustainability to undertake outstanding initiatives.
4. Promoting the pursuit of external grants that fund faculty and student research on the major issues of our times.
Our highly productive faculty are on track this year to obtain a record number of external grants thanks to our collective efforts to rethink and restructure how we incentivize the pursuit of external grants within the College. Outstanding recent examples from the Fall 2023 semester, which we have highlighted in our weekly Faculty Spotlights, include:
- Perla B. Gámez, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, $436,088 grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
- Kelvin Billingsley, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, $461,844 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH.
- Mohammed Abuhamad, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, $300,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
- Tatiana Esipova, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, $292,130 from the NSF.
These externally funded grant projects not only advance and deepen knowledge in academic fields across the College, but typically provide exciting opportunities for students to become involved in research.
5. Building international bridges to expand the numbers of our students who study abroad, international students who study in the College, and faculty and staff who engage in international collaborations.
We are involved in a host of activities designed to enhance the international footprint of the College. An excellent example involved providing full funding for six Chicago-based students from the College to participate in a Human Rights Symposium at the University of Warsaw in Poland this past October that focused on the human rights toll of the war in Ukraine. All six students were folded into the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) fall break trip to Poland, which coincided with the conference. This initiative was made possible thanks to impressive coordination among the Dean’s Office, the interdisciplinary Polish Studies program, the JFRC, the University of Warsaw, and our alumni, most notably John Kurowski, who has organized the symposium for nearly two decades. Over 200 students applied, demonstrating their hunger to engage in global experiences.
The six outstanding College of Arts and Sciences students selected for this experience included:
- Daria Komeza, Senior, Major in Psychology, Minor in Psychology of Crime & Justice
- Jacob Plaza, Senior, Majors in Data Science and Philosophy, and Interdisciplinary Honors Program
- Shelby Davinroy, Senior, Major in Global Studies, Minors in Military Science and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies
- Sophia Matheson, Senior, Major in Computer Engineering
- Thomas Hite, Senior, Major in Political Science, Minor in Military Science
- Zack Nkadi, Senior, Major in Computer Science
It is my firm belief as Dean that we, as a Loyola family, are much better persons for others when we are globally aware and connected.
6. Promoting a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students who are committed to social justice and equality for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
CAS is also a much better place when our programs and initiatives are reflective of the interests and needs of our diverse student body and our larger national and international communities.
The College has embraced this imperative as demonstrated by our annual Building Community Bridges scholarships, which we established and funded three years ago. These awards are provided to students from under-represented groups who are involved in community-building initiatives designed to advance diversity and inclusion initiatives either at Loyola or in other communities.
Congratulations to our 18 recipients, who inspire us all to strive every day in the pursuit of the Jesuit ideals of justice and service to others.
In sum, much is happening in the College of Arts and Sciences, for which we can be thankful as we enter the holiday season. I wish you a joyful and restful Thanksgiving break with family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Peter J. Schraeder, PhD
Professor and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Loyola University Chicago
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”