Letter From the Dean - Welcoming the Schools of Architecture and Public Administration

July 1, 2020

I am pleased to announce that as of today the Schools of Architecture and Public Administration, formerly with the College of Design and Social Inquiry, have officially joined the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. We are very excited to welcome our new students, faculty and staff and we look forward to the collaborative work that will be possible with the Schools. For example, the School of Architecture, the Department of Visual Arts and Art History and the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies will find synergies in their research and teaching in the exciting fields of design, emerging technologies, and Artificial Intelligence. Also, the School of Public Administration offers programs that relate well to the Departments of Political Science and Sociology in their commitments to government and public policy, and shared interests with the Department of Philosophy in the area of Ethics and Society. Both Schools bring shared values to the College in preparing our students to be good citizens of the world, in contributing innovative research and creative works, and in engaging robustly with our local, national and international communities. 

We have been working hard over the last several months to ensure a seamless transition. Our students should not see a change in the registration process for classes. Majors will receive the same high quality advising as in the past, but from the College of Arts and Letters Office of Student Services. The interim Director of the School of Architecture continues to be Professor Jeffrey Huber. The new Director of the School of Public Administration is Dr. Alka Sapat. 

Though we may not be able to meet our new colleagues and students in the classrooms and hallways for a while, I look forward to virtual collaboration that will soon lead to face-to-face initiatives in teaching, research and community engagement.

Stay safe,

Michael J. Horswell, Dean, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters  

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