CAS Blog
Each week in the CAS Bulletin, a member of the College of Arts and Sciences write a blog. Those blogs are collected here for reference.
April 25, 2024
Core ConversationsGet ready, everyone! We’re about to start talking about the Core.
Work will begin this summer in clarifying the process that the anticipated review of the Core Curriculum in 2024-2025...
April 18, 2024
McDonald Award recipients McDonald Award winners announced The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that the selection committee for the McDonald Award has completed its work. Chaired by last year's winner,...
April 11, 2024
Earlies or SeasonedSome of you might be thinking that it is much too early for a blog to address putting in an application for rank and tenure. On the contrary, now is precisely the time to start...
April 04, 2024
A genuine wonder of existence“What terror is this that overwhelms you?… The sun is obliterated out of the sky… a lethal mist spreads all across the earth!” – Homer’s...
March 28, 2024
Meaningful impact and contributionsServing on the College of Arts and Sciences' Student Advisory Board has been among the most fulfilling experiences of my time at Xavier University. Each meeting has been a testament to the impact...
March 21, 2024
Why study the humanities?Today's blog is the acceptance speech from this year's Fortin Award Recipient, Randy Browne, Associate Professor in the History Department (right in photo). Randy accepted the award from Roger...
March 14, 2024
Connecting with piToday is March 14, Pi Day, an excuse to reflect on that irrational number we use to represent how many times the distance across a circle can wrap around the outside of that same circle. It turns...
February 29, 2024
The comedic spirit of springThis semester, I'm teaching one of my favorite classes—an upper-level course titled "Novel Writing," where students compose an entire novel from scratch. At the outset of the...
February 22, 2024
Helping our students discern and respond to political disagreementMy current research explores tolerance for political disagreement on social media with friends and family. This topic resonates with our students. They experience tension when viewing incongruent...
February 15, 2024
Roses, chocolates, and...ashes?Roses, chocolates, and … ashes? Perhaps I wasn’t the only person experiencing cognitive dissonance yesterday, as the calendar threw together Valentine’s Day and Ash...
February 08, 2024
Academic mentoring for internshipsFor many Xavier faculty members, fostering the professional development of students extends beyond the classroom, encompassing guidance in securing meaningful internships. Reflecting on my own...
February 01, 2024
Meaningful and intentional celebrationsAs we move into Black History Month, it is worth being reminded of some key factors that helped establish Black lives as worthy of both celebration and academic study. In 1915 Carter G....
January 25, 2024
Alive with the sound of musicAs we begin 2024, music is flowing through the Xavier campus! New clubs, new courses, and new musical ensembles reflect an invigorated spirit in the university’s music community. The past...
January 18, 2024
Hot views during a cold caucusThis past weekend, a group of 30 students from the PPP (Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors Program), Smith Scholars (Williams College of Business honors cohort), and Political Science...
January 11, 2024
Pura vidaReflections on 15 years of the Costa Rica Study Abroad course The Xavier winter program that takes students to Costa Rica for an experiential biology course has operated for 15 trips. We had a...
December 14, 2023
That works for meAs retirement looms, I’ve been mulling over the last 35 years. In August 1989, I joined a mathematics department that was mostly male, mostly white and with many members having...
December 07, 2023
Light in the darknessTonight, the Jewish holiday of Chanukah starts, and we mark its beginning by lighting a menorah (a nine-branched candelabrum) at nightfall. This custom is to commemorate the rededication of the...
November 30, 2023
An organized observation of the natural worldWhile I would like to think that I am always actively thinking about how my courses fit into what students learn at Xavier, when the CAS Associate Deans asked me to write a blog entry...
November 16, 2023
The Place of GratitudeWith the holiday arriving soon, many of us will likely turn our thoughts in the coming days to the things we have to be thankful for. Considered historically, we owe this time of thanks to the...
November 09, 2023
Speed deaningTwo weeks ago, we three Associate Deans of Arts and Sciences – Tim Brownlee, Steve Yandell, and I – set out for the University of San Francisco to attend the annual Association...
November 02, 2023
Getting the shiversI get the shivers when I see how hostile to the humanities many politicians, members of the public, and even some college presidents have become. Poor ROI, they declare.
How fortunate we are at...
October 26, 2023
More than button pushingWhen asked to write about what it is that people may not know about DIFT over the last 50 years, I would like to express that there is much more to the major than simply pushing...
October 19, 2023
Taking on campaign internshipsGuest blog by CAS students Noelle Delumpa and Victoria Strawbridge This semester, as part of our coursework in the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public program, we...
October 12, 2023
Pack your PascalWhy is fall a good time for students to think about Xavier’s Study Abroad programs? This is a question CAS posed to me in asking me to offer a blog post for the...
September 28, 2023
What your students want you to knowAdvising and scheduling can be overwhelming, especially for first year students. With four semesters of advising meetings and scheduling under our belts, we have reflected on our advising...
September 21, 2023
Welcoming and mentoring new facultySome of you have heard me tell this story. The setting: Fall 2000, the Hinkle Hall second floor conference room, my first Xavier English Department faculty meeting. The characters: well,...
September 14, 2023
Considering care in new waysThe CAS deans’ office hopes that everyone has been settling in nicely to our fall 2023 semester. The opening of the academic year feels very familiar to most of us. We have had decades of...
September 07, 2023
Let them know they aren't aloneAs we reach the end of the third week of classes, our first-year students have (hopefully) figured out the basics of life at Xavier: the best time to eat at the Caf, where the library is located,...
August 31, 2023
Value and securitySince 1894, America’s workers have enjoyed a holiday that celebrates hard work. Labor unions hosted parades to honor dedicated workers, and Grover Cleveland thought the recognition was...
August 24, 2023
Welcome back!This summer, we’ve seen considerable changes within the Dean’s office. And those changes have capped a full year of change. If you’re still not sure who’s...