Dear students, faculty members, and friends,

Hopefully you are aware that, effective July 1, 2023, I will be stepping down as dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. If you are just now learning about this, please take the time to go through the News Center announcement (shared in @Rochester on Friday) and the message posted on my dean’s page.

Between the two messages currently online, you will get a general sense of why I feel this is the right time to make this transition and how I will approach it. I want to emphasize the word “transition” because this isn’t a goodbye; it’s more like advance notice of significant change to come. Until that time, I will be doing the job of dean to the best of my ability and will continue to be available to students, faculty, staff, and the broader University.

I’m reluctant to say too much more at this point out of fear of making this feel like “goodbye,” especially since you will be getting at least two more of these In Focus messages from me. And because my feelings about this will undoubtedly evolve over the next eight months, I’m going to wait to express them. I’d also really like to spare you of any redundancies. However, I want to close by repeating one sentiment from the message on my page.

In my nine years as dean, I’ve never felt like it’s been an obligation. It has always felt like a privilege. And as I enter the last semester and a half of my tenure as dean and experience the range of emotions that comes with it, I know I will mostly feel proud.

Gloria Culver
Dean
School of Arts & Sciences