Dear alumni and friends

Just a few weeks — days, almost — after I became dean of Arts & Sciences, the United States was shocked by an attack within our borders. The events of September 11, 2001, changed the way many Americans look at the world. The events of this past summer, when the destructive force of Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, changed the way many Americans look at our own country, as the fate of an iconic city and culture and its poorest residents unfolded before our eyes.

Each of the wide range of disciplines in the College curriculum provides students with a unique view of the great social issues of our time, and in this issue of Arts & Sciences you can read two articles that show how we are offering our students and the larger academic world ways to take in and make sense of the American experience.

For the past 14 years, Julian Bond has shared his experiences and given his students the broad narrative of the civil rights movement. He joins a long list of faculty and students whose work has centered on how the movement fits into and has changed the story of America. Julian retires from U.Va. this spring, but the teaching and scholarship related to civil rights will continue.

Planning for the American Studies interdisciplinary major also began just before the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001. There may be no better place than the University of Virginia, an institution founded by one of the nation’s founders, to think about and study what we mean by “American.” One of Thomas Jefferson’s goals for the University was to educate the population to take part in the new democracy; today’s American Studies undergraduate major continues in that tradition, helping students to examine multiple perspectives and to find their own places in the national identity.

Just as this issue was being completed, the South Lawn Project reached another major milestone: the hiring of an architecture firm, Moore Ruble Yudell, to continue the planning for this, the most significant construction project at U.Va. in a century. We’re excited about the way plans are proceeding, grateful to the leadership donors who have helped us reach this point, and eager to share plans with you all as soon as they are available.

Edward L. Ayers
Hugh P. Kelly Professor of History
Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences