Welcome Back to Fall 2025

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Welcome back to the start of a new academic year! As we begin fall semester together, I am honored to represent the interests and needs of our remarkable community.

Ahead of us lies a fresh opportunity to engage; with each other as a community, with the broader communities in which we live and work, and with our beloved academic disciplines and intellectual traditions. Each August I am invigorated by the prospect of a new year of discovery, inquiry, and meaningful meaning-making – all hallmarks of humanities education and research.

To our returning students: you've already experienced how humanities education transforms perspectives and builds intellectual resilience. Continue being curious and engaging deeply with the ideas that shape our world. The world needs you.

To our new students: you've chosen a college where your academic journey will have lasting impact. The knowledge you gain here is durable; it will serve you regardless of where your career takes you. Embrace the challenges ahead with confidence!

To our faculty and staff who have been hard at work over the summer preparing for another impactful year, thank you for all that you do. I recognize the incredible care and commitment you pour into this college and I am proud to labor beside you as a colleague.

The College of Humanities remains a driving force in higher education, and this year we build upon the strong commitments to research and teaching excellence that define our institution. I am excited to read innovative new research being published by our faculty and graduate students, learn about the impactful internships and undergraduate research opportunities our students are carrying out, and immerse myself once more in the vibrant intellectual community of renowned scholars, educators, and learners who gather here. This fall, the College of Humanities will add even more academic impact through a merger with the academic units of Transform. We warmly welcome Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Disability Studies, and Pacific Island Studies students to the college – stay tuned for updates as the merger progresses over the coming months. 

I look forward to carrying our shared commitments forward and working together to further grow our college in the face of whatever challenges and opportunities lie ahead.

Welcome back!

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