Dear Alumnus, Students have returned to campus, and spring classes ...

Dear Alumnus, Students have returned to campus, and spring classes began last week! We have hit the ground running and have exciting news to share. I am delighted to tell you Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner, will join our faculty as the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Public and International Affairs in fall 2011. Pearlstein will teach classes related to economics, public affairs, and the media. In addition to his academic duties, he will continue writing a weekly column for The Washington Post and moderate its leadership website. Pearlstein brings a wealth of knowledge to our campus and will enrich our academic reputation. Read more here. I am also proud to announce the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and The Smithsonian Associates program of the Smithsonian Institution will jointly offer a master of arts in the history of decorative arts, the only degree program of its kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Classes will begin in fall 2011, pending approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Click here to read more. On January 15, over 200 alumni and friends attended our 5th Annual Dean’s Tailgate making it our biggest yet. We had alumni in the room from 1970 to 2010 and every decade in between. I am convinced that it was the extra excitement and energy our group brought to the Patriot Center following the event, which propelled the men’s basketball team to victory. I hope to meet more of you at our tailgate next year. Upcoming events this month include: Homecoming: Men’s Basketball vs. Old Dominion Saturday, February 5 We welcome back all of our alumni for Homecoming weekend. Join students and alumni alike for a day filled with Patriot Pride. Festivities and times are on the website. Vision Series Lecture: Traveling on the Underground Railroad: Fact and Fiction Spencer Crew Robinson Professor of American, African American, and Public History Monday, February 28 at 7 p.m.

The Underground Railroad was one of the first interracial activist movements in the history of the United States. The participants represented a diverse cross section of people from different racial, religious, and geographic backgrounds. The discussion will highlight the activities of the very sophisticated Underground Railroad operatives in the Virginia/Washington, D.C./Maryland region. Yours in Patriot Pride,

Jack Censer Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

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