Letter from the Dean - Welcome to the 2020-21 School Year!

Dear Students,
 
On behalf of all our faculty and staff here in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, I would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year!
 
For those of you I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet, I am the Dean of the College and I look forward to helping you achieve the goals you are pursuing with unbridled ambition! Of course, this fall semester will be extraordinary in many ways: you may spend less time physically on campus and more time connecting with your professors and classmates through technologies like ZOOM and WebEx. We all will be physically distancing and wearing face coverings on campus. Each of us will be extra conscientious about our caring for others who may be silently more at risk of serious consequences of the virus. We are a community learning together and… Owls protect Owls!

Please know that your professors have spent their summer preparing to provide you a deeply engaging academic experience. For a clear and concise overview of what awaits this semester, please view our Provost’s short video presentation here: https://youtu.be/rY0mHNpDHxs

I normally invite each of you to get outside of your comfort zone and try at least one new activity every week you are in school. Now is the time! Make the most of your college experience by engaging with your fellow students and the world-class faculty and helpful staff here in Arts and Letters. This fall is no different. FAU and our College will continue to offer exciting extracurricular activities and I hope you will be sure to try some new experiences, even if they are through virtual modalities for the next few months. 
 
Throughout the academic year you will be receiving a bi-weekly student news email. In these emails you will find important advising and academic updates, exciting events, and other informative college news.

Make sure to follow us on social media so you are the first to hear!
Facebook: facebook.com/fauartsletters
Instagram: @fauartsletters
Twitter: @fauartsletters
You can also follow me on Twitter: @ALDeanFAU

Finally, let me share one of my favorite pieces of wisdom from the great Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” We all are living in times of great challenge across the nation and globe. Now more than ever our society needs women and men who are actively seeking ethical and effective solutions to the challenges we face. University is the time and place for you to engage in the great debates of our times and to embark on a lifetime of discovery. Our college and university enjoy uniquely diverse student populations; we greatly value that diversity and strive to be absolutely inclusive of all people and perspectives respectfully expressed. Learning happens in the spaces in which new ideas confront our previously limited, and comfortable, ways of viewing the world; embrace that discomfort, grow with your fellow Owls, together. Whether this is your first semester here at FAU or your last, we faculty and staff are here to help you acquire the knowledge and skills to face the present and to thrive in the future. 
 
Have a great semester, and Go Owls!

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