Bidding Farewell and Looking Ahead
In the last issue of Weinberg magazine, I observed that Weinberg College is poised to begin an exciting period of growth. Northwestern has now appointed Adrian Randolph, currently associate dean of the Faculty for the Arts and Humanities at Dartmouth College, to become Weinberg’s next dean.
Adrian will leverage a wealth of administrative experience and proven leadership skills as he guides our College into and through the next phase of its development. I am delighted that he will be joining us this July, and I look forward to helping make his move from Hanover, N.H. to Evanston as smooth as possible.
This is not to say that we have been standing still during our search for a new dean. We are very excited about the continued success of We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern. One gift in particular, from Roberta Buffett Elliott ’54, will transform global studies at Northwestern and create new opportunities for Weinberg faculty to engage in groundbreaking research in the social sciences. Our summer Bridge Program, which helps underprepared students sharpen their math and science skills, will see a significant expansion in scope and scale. Resources from the Anderson Fund for the Humanities will double the annual discretionary accounts of our humanities faculty as they pursue research and scholarship. Over the coming year, we will make a significant investment in our Department of Physics and Astronomy as we add new faculty, increase the department’s cohort of PhDs, and deepen the College’s expertise in atomic, molecular and optical physics. This fall we will launch a new interdisciplinary major in neuroscience, which will draw on our resources in neurobiology, psychology, cognitive science and linguistics. We are also in discussions with other Northwestern schools to increase cross-school education and student involvement. And, of course, there will always be some surprises to come.
I have truly enjoyed serving as interim dean this past academic year. As you can see, lots of good work is under way that will continue to strengthen our program offerings and the overall standing of the College. Dean-designate Randolph will inherit an educational institution that is healthy academically and financially and positioned for further growth. I am excited about the prospects for our College in the years ahead.
Cheers,
Mark Ratner
Interim dean, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences