Letter from the Dean

Dear Students, Colleagues, and Friends of the College of Humanities,

Last week, the faculty of the School for Cultural & Social Transformation (Transform) and the College of Humanities voted to merge. The academic divisions currently housed in Transform will be joining the College of Humanities and the new organizational structure will be determined by a faculty-engaged process in Fall 2025. All of the curriculum and courses for the majors, minors, and undergraduate and graduate certificates in Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Disability Studies, and Pacific Island Studies that are currently offered will continue to be available. Students who are currently enrolled will absolutely be able to finish their degrees, and we will continue to accept new students with all the warmth and welcome that we always have. As Dean, I want to reiterate that the success of our students is central to our mission. We are here to educate you, research and learn alongside you, and share our collective work with our communities.

I recognize that this may bring up a lot of feelings for our community. Transform has been my academic home since its inception, and there is a deep sense of loss in this that I share with you. I specifically want to state that this is a decision that Transform and Humanities leadership and faculty did not take lightly; it was a difficult decision to make. The past year has been full of change coupled with significant blows to education from both federal and state legislatures, and I want to acknowledge the very real difficulty of the situation. As I have wrestled with this turning point, I have found strength in the words of philosopher, poet, and activist Audre Lorde: “In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.” I assure you whatever challenges we face impact how we stand up –not if.

Here is what I want our Transform and Humanities students and faculty to hear and for the University campus to know: this is not an erasure. Ethnic Studies, Pacific Island Studies, Gender Studies, and Disability Studies – the curricula, programming, research, and public engagement they inform and sustain – will continue to have an important presence at the University of Utah. The synergy of interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and research these programs represent is remaining at the University of Utah. The supportive community students, faculty, and staff have worked to create through programming, gatherings, and common space are remaining at the University of Utah. In a time of erasures, the active presence of all of the above is an important distinction, and I am dedicated to continuing to support the excellence of Ethnic Studies, Pacific Island Studies, Gender Studies, and Disability Studies at our university.  

As we merge our colleges, we will be going through the shared governance process and we will have opportunities for student, faculty, and staff engagement. I hope you will join us as those are announced. 

Yours in solidarity, 

Wanda S. Pillow 
Dean of the College of Humanities 
Dean of the School for Cultural & Social Transformation