Dear alumni and friends

When we think of education, we often think first of individual accomplishment: the student who masters a new skill; the researcher who connects concepts in new ways; the scientist who proposes a new theory. But as we demonstrate in this issue, the work of our students, faculty, and alumni need not be private affairs. Indeed, the people of Arts & Sciences exert a significant influence in the public sphere.

Our lead story introduces some of the remarkable scholars in our religious studies department whose research and service place them squarely in the public eye. As individuals and through the interdisciplinary programs they lead, these academics are reshaping our notions about the role religion should play in civic life.

Other U.Va. researchers are poised to reshape what we know about the cosmos. Astronomy faculty member Stephen Majewski’s efforts have earned U.Va. a key role in the creation and deployment of a sophisticated space telescope that will, among other things, determine the weight of the Milky Way. Coupled with the stories about alumni Michael O’Brien, who negotiated the contract for the International Space Station, and Myung-ja Kim, who serves as the environmental minister for Korea, it is clear that our public influence extends far beyond Charlottesville.

In my own way, I have played a peculiarly public role as your dean since 1997. Mine has been a tenure inspired by my desire to set the College and Graduate School on a trajectory to become the equal of any university, private or public, in the land. Laying that groundwork has pushed me into the public arena of this University’s life in ways I had not expected. The results, I am happy to report, are promising. The accomplishments of Arts & Sciences are chronicled in my report to you on page 8. The remaining challenges are there, too, for you and my successor to consider as you continue to advance the agenda of the College.

In closing, allow me to draw your attention to one more public act of great import. On April 20, a group of College alumni gathered on the steps of Cabell Hall to announce the creation of The College Foundation, the first nonprofit fund-raising foundation dedicated expressly to the advancement of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Their ardor, generosity and wisdom bode well for our College’s future.

Melvyn P. Leffler, Dean
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences