Congratulations to the Class of 2022 and thank you to all Arts & Humanities staff, students, alumni, and faculty for a successful 2021-2022 academic year!

Welcome to the 2021-2022 academic year!

In higher education we talk a great deal about teaching skills like critical thinking, textual analysis, information literacy, civic responsibility, and ethical judgement.

The troubling events yesterday — the storming and pillaging of the Capitol building in Washington DC and the dire increase in Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths here in California — put the death of a promising student in a larger perspective. It is going to take all of our efforts to build trust and faith in institutions of government both locally and nationally. It is going to take all of our efforts to make our institutions work. Our new Chancellor, Dr. Joseph Castro, wrote after the events yesterday, "The CSU — the country’s largest public university system — is preparing a new generation of diverse and ethical leaders who will help to strengthen our state and nation in the years to come.”  This is our challenge and I am confident that all of us in Arts & Humanities — every student, faculty member, and staff member — will endeavor in our commitment to build a thriving and inclusive future.