EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
It is our pleasure to submit the annual report for the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) for 2023-2024 This document represents a status report on our school as well as on shared resources with the School of Engineering
This year was bookended with significant leadership changes at the university and school: In the Fall, President Sunil Kumar was inaugurated as the university’s 14th president In addition, we are writing this report jointly due to a leadership change at the school; Jim made the bitter-sweet decision to depart Tufts for an opportunity to become the Provost and Executive Vice President of Santa Clara University in California after 33 wonderful years at Tufts While a search for a permanent Dean of A&S is currently underway, Bárbara assumed the role of Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences ad interim
It was another highly selective year for Tufts undergraduate admissions, and recruitment for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences remained strong despite reports of peer schools struggling with enrollment pressures The school neared completion of its multi-year hiring initiative; 40 new full time faculty started in fall of 2023, pushing us closer to our desired student-faculty ratio, and providing increased opportunity for research and scholarship Those planned faculty investments, along with a transition to per credit billing for master’s students resulted in a reduction of the A&S financial surplus to $5.0 million ($0.4 better than budget) The SMFA finished the year in surplus for the second consecutive year, continuing to improve its student retention while managing resources efficiently.
The school also grappled with a politically volatile year on campus following the start of the Israel-Hamas war and subsequent student protest activity In late October, the AS&E Deans’ Offices held a community dialogue for students, faculty, and staff to address the devastating events in Israel and Gaza. This well-attended discussion was facilitated by Eileen Babbitt, Professor of the Practice of International Conflict Management at the Fletcher School, and Professors Malik Mufti, Avner Baz, and Amahl Bishara participated
Regardless, on-campus protests were held throughout the year around this global issue, most notably with students entering and disrupting administrative activities in Ballou Hall in the Fall and the disruption of Jumbo Days admissions events in the Spring Following similar actions at universities around the country, student protesters formed a small encampment of tents on the academic quad in front of Ballou After prolonged negotiations, the encampment disbanded voluntarily and peacefully ahead of Commencement We were very pleased that commencement celebrations were able to take place as planned The class of 2024 especially deserved to be celebrated as the majority of this class had their high school graduations canceled or disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic Due to expected protest activity, there were increased security measures implemented around commencement, but these measures were successful in permitting the event to go forward with minimal disruptions
On a positive note, the year had several successes: a new, more equitable undergraduate registration process was piloted and very well received by students and faculty, a new cohort of world-class scholars joined our faculty, sponsored expenditures increased by 19% from AY22-23, and collective bargaining agreements were successfully negotiated with the AS&E Residential Assistants and GSAS PhD students, while the SMFA part-time lecturers became fully incorporated into the A&S part-time lecturers’ agreement
Bárbara M Brizuela Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences ad interim
James M. Glaser Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences emeritus
ADMISSIONS
Undergraduate Admissions The School of Arts and Sciences (including SMFA) maintained its impressive momentum, as 26,866 students competed for places in Fall 2024’s entering class A&S sustained a high degree of selectivity at 11 9 percent, with 48 percent of admitted students enrolling Standardized test scores remain optional Nonetheless, the standardized testing profile of those admitted students who submitted scores was strong with a mean SAT composite score of 1516 The mean score on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section was 748 and the mean score on Math was 768 The ACT mean composite was 34 Fourteen percent are foreign citizens, with 57 countries of citizenship represented There are 167 A&S students who are among the first generation in their families to attend college.Finally, A&S awarded $27.5 million in need-based financial aid for the class of 2028, and 32 percent of the entering A&S class received grants, including 12 percent of the A&S cohort who will receive Pell grants.
Graduate Admissions. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) had another strong application and recruitment cycle As of July 1, 2024, the Office of Graduate Admissions processeda total of 4,146 applications. There were 1,715 applications for admission to PhD programs for Fall 2024 and 127 applications to the Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program for students entering in Summer 2024 The admit rate for applicants was 12 percent Altogether, 38 percent plan to enroll in the Fall Admissions processed 2,229 applications to master’s-level GSAS programs for Fall, including the Master of Fine Arts program at SMFA Approximately 55 percent of all master’s-level applicants were admitted for Fall 2024 with 34 percent planning to enroll for Fall 2024 as of mid-August This represents a new student headcount growth of 12 percent compared to last year
STUDENTS
Undergraduate Accomplishments. In February and May 2024 combined, the School of Arts and Sciences conferred a total of 1,258 undergraduate degrees for 1,218 students; 546 students earned BA degrees, 582 students earned BS degrees, 50 students earned BFA degrees, and 40 students earned the BA/BFA or BS/BFA combined degree In this class of graduates, 160 students completed honors theses, of which 154 were Arts and Sciences students, an increase of 30 students over last year This increase can be attributed to the work of Advising Dean Caitlin Casey who spearheaded an initiative to generate more student interest and reduce the number of students dropping their theses
In the realm of nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, it was a successful year for Tufts undergraduates. Tufts is proud to boast two Goldwater Scholars from Arts and Sciences and saw 13 students selected for Fulbright grants for next year One Arts and Sciences student was selected as a national finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship this year, and two of the three Luce Scholarship recipients from Tufts are Arts and Sciences undergraduates
In Summer 2023, 50 A&S undergraduate students (including ten SMFA students) participated in the Summer Scholars Program, and over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year, the Undergraduate Research Fund supported 124 students conducting original research and pursuing research-related internships Applicant numbers for the upcoming 2024 Summer Scholars program were especially high among A&S students, with 89 out of 104 applicants from A&S and SMFA Twenty-six undergraduates participated in the Visiting and Early Research Scholars Experience (VERSE) program over the summer (14 from Tufts and 12 from other institutions) This 10-week program gave students an immersive research experience with faculty across A&S, SOE, and SMFA, and culminated in a research festival held on August 11, 2023 During the academic year, the Undergraduate Research Symposium was a grand success, with 57 students presenting original research in a day-long event in early May
Graduate Student Accomplishments and Programming In 2023-2024, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences conferred 359 master’s degrees, 17 Education Specialist degrees, 52 PhD degrees, one Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate, 30 Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate degrees, and 42 professional certificates GSAS graduated its third cohorts in the Entry-Level OTD and the Neubauer Family Program in Economics and Public Policy PhD GSAS offered over 40 professional development workshops, in conjunction with campus partners, and the school conducted an audit of the portfolio of offerings to better understand gaps and opportunities for innovative programming The school forged a relationship with Boston College, Boston University, and Brandeis University to offer joint professional development programming in the coming year The new online certificate in Impact Investing launched in Fall 2023 with 13 students, exceeding initial projections of six students in the first cohort The DEIJ-L Master’s program received approval to operate online with its first cohort slated to begin in Fall 2024 The Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctoral program submitted a proposal to operate fully online and that approval is anticipated by August 2024 for enrollment of a new cohort for Fall 2025
GSAS continued to pilot a new financial aid process in 2023-2024 and expanded the number of participating master’s programs from one to six, and in 2024-2025 will expand the program broadly to most master’s programs The 2023-24 GSAS Community Fellows Program accepted graduate students from the DEIJ-L MA program and the Chemistry PhD program. Throughout the academic year, the Fellows sponsored many events with the goal of developing a more robust and inclusive community across all GSAS programs. Seven GSAS students participated in the 2023 Graduate Leadership in Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (GLIDE) program in a hybrid modality Each student completed an immersion program and practicum composed of DEIJ knowledge and practical tools In addition, 17 students participated in the Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT) program and nine students participated in the Graduate Research Excellence at Tufts (GREAT) program During the 2023-24 academic year, GSAS held four Community Dialogues
School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. SMFA continues to demonstrate that it is a desirable destination for aspiring art students and for those who wish to pursue an education in fine arts in combination with other disciplines within the humanities, social sciences, and sciences Undergraduate applications slightly exceeded the record levels reached in the previous year, with an increasing number of applicants choosing SMFA as their first choice The incoming class for Fall 2024 is balanced between BFA and Combined Degree students and continues the trend of increasing levels of diversity and global representation
Curricular and programmatic changes in the MFA degree program, implemented in the previous year, have been met with enthusiasm by the graduate students and have had a clear impact on the quality of their work and levels of student satisfaction These changes and the high level of artistic achievement displayed in graduate thesis exhibitions have served to further distinguish the program from competitors Applications to the MFA program increased by 20 percent, but melt is currently running 25 percent higher than last year There is still work to be done to meet the program’s target enrollment
Dean Scheri Fultineer completed her first full academic year at the school She was joined by other new colleagues including Associate Dean of Student Life Alyssa Baker, Director of Fine Arts Studios Matt King, Associate Director of Continuing Education Carolyn Collona, and Senior Facilities Manager Branden Etheridge. Five new faculty have just completed their first year. Established faculty have received a record number of awards Faculty and staff contributed to the SMFA Strategic Plan that is currently in process The plan will align with the other strategic plans in process at the university while providing a framework for SMFA’s aspirations Finally, negotiations for the first collective bargaining agreement with the SMFA professors of the practice started this year.
FACULTY
Promotions A&S continued to add outstanding teacher/scholars to its tenured ranks: Daanika Gordon (Sociology), Mimi Kao (Biology), Sarah Luna (Anthropology), James Murphy (Mathematics), and Nick Seaver (Anthropology) were promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor without limit of time Tim Atherton (Physics & Astronomy) Amahl Bishara (Anthropology), Hugo Beauchemin (Physics &
Astronomy), Patrick Forber (Philosophy), Xiaozhe Hu (Mathematics), Yu-Shan Lin (Chemistry), Helen Marrow (Sociology), Adam Storeygard (Economics), and Adriana Zavala (History of Art and Architecture) were promoted to full Professor without limit of time
The following Lecturers were recognized with promotions to Senior Lecturer: Christine Cousineau (Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning), Meredith Grinnell (Occupational Therapy), Magdalena Malinowska (Romance Studies), and Miki Yagi (International Literary and Cultural Studies) The following faculty were promoted to Distinguished Senior Lecturer: Rana Abdul-Aziz (International Literary and Cultural Studies), Julie Dobrow (Child Study and Human Development), Paul Lehrman (Music), and Tracy Pearce (Romance Studies)
Endowed and Term Professorships. Jonah Bloch-Johnson was appointed to the newly established Chang Family Assistant Professorship and Brandon McDonald was appointed to the newly established Rumsey Family Professorship in Interdisciplinary Studies In addition, the following appointments were approved by the Trustee Academic Affairs Committee: Deborah Schildkraut as the John Richard Skuse, Class of 1941, Professor of Political Science; Diana Brown as the John Holmes Assistant Professor; Mat Rappaport as the Donald W. Klein Professor of Practice in Media Studies; Joseph Litvak as the Harriet H. Fay Professor of Literature; and Zora J Murff as one of the two SMFA Endowed Professors of the Practice.
Retirements and Departures. A&S celebrated the retirements of valued faculty members this year: Anna Hardman (Economics), Cristina Pausini (Romance Studies), and Jack Ridge (Earth and Climate Sciences). Tanya Crane (SMFA), Ioannis Evrigenis (Political Science), Diego Luis (History), Triton Mobley (SMFA), Noe Montez (Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies), Carmen Merolla (Romance Studies), and JP Pizzuti (Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies) departed Tufts for other opportunities. Their commitment to the school and their presence and contributions will be missed
Hiring This year A&S hired 17 tenure-stream faculty members and six full-time, non-tenure-stream faculty Of the 23 full time colleagues hired, 12 are women, and eight are members of underrepresented ethnic or racial groups Fourteen are starting in AY24-25 View the biographies of these outstanding new faculty members, as well as several hired last fiscal year who joined the school this year Nine new hires are delaying their starts until AY25-26 Two of these new hires, Alexandra Collins (Community Health) and Jordan Jurinsky (Child Study and Human Development), represent A&S’s cluster hire initiative in addiction, substance abuse, and misuse
A&S Research Sponsored research expenditures grew to $28M, an increase of 19% from AY22-23 Arts and Sciences (including SMFA) received 103 new awards in AY23-24 for a total obligated amount of over $18M A complete list of awarded grants and fellowships may be found on the Faculty Grants and Fellowships webpage The success rate for proposals has steadily increased from 2020
The Office for the Dean of Research is committed to supporting scholarship and research by developing programs that meet the needs of all scholars and primary investigators in Arts and Sciences. They are committed to nurturing A&S research collaborations both within the school and across the university In partnership with the School of Engineering, the Office for the Dean of Research hosted research conversations focused on Neuroscience, Human Health, and Sustainability Identification of A&S strengths has led to a strategic hiring program focused on Human Health. In addition, the 2024 Strategic Training for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (STARS) conference focused on the topic of Human Health and highlighted junior faculty researchers working in this area across AS&E. Finally, the Office for the Dean of Research closely collaborated with the Office for the Vice Provost for Research and Tufts Technology Services to support adoption of federal regulations regarding research security, changes to Post-Doctoral Fellowship salaries, and the implementation of new guidelines regarding data storage
Scholarship, Awards, Honors, and Achievements. There is insufficient room in this report to list all of the scholarly accomplishments of A&S faculty across so many disciplines, so please visit the website for faculty highlights A&S faculty also received a marked level of attention by major news and media outlets
for their original and impactful research, which is featured on the A&S website under "Faculty in the News."
The A&S Dean’s Publication Party was held on May 15, 2024 and celebrated works by A&S faculty members, including books, edited volumes, scholarly articles and book chapters, sound recordings, musical scores, films, artworks, and exhibitions that were released in the past year While there are too many to list here, a small sample of faculty books from the last year includes: Alice Isabella Sullivan, The Eclectic Visual Culture of Medieval Moldavia (Brill, 2023), Diego Javier Luis, The First Asians in the Americas: A Transpacific History (Harvard University Press, 2024), Oxana Shevel, Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States, (Polity, 2024), and Yonatan Y Brafman, Critique of Halakhic Reason: Divine Commandments and Social Normativity (Oxford University Press, 2024) View a list from this year’s Publication Party
Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG). TUAG had a strong year in exhibitions that offered in-depth and diverse views of contemporary art practices from around the world; highlighted communities and histories long-ignored by major institutions; and solidified its reputation for presenting timely, rigorous contemporary programming. The fall season explored Indigenous art production today locally and globally with Elizabeth James Perry and the groundbreaking group exhibition of Indigenous art and activism from Brazil, Véxoa: We Know. The projects culminated in a 3-day scholarly convening in March, supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art, that brought Indigenous curators and activists from Brazil together with Native artists, curators, and leaders in the Northeast. In the spring, the galleries featured a series of photo-based projects that explored queer history in Boston with the critically acclaimed solo-exhibition of SMFA-alumnus Christian Walker and the related As the World Burns: Queer Photography + Nightlife in Boston, and the confluence of gender and Chinese-American history in Kenneth Tam: Standing in Soft Formation. The SMFA art space had record-breaking attendance and received generous media coverage.
TUAG acquired new artworks for the campus by artists Kenneth Tam and Wendy Red Star with help from a new donor group, the TUAG Acquisition Committee Over the summer, the entire collection moved to an upgraded and larger off-site storage facility TUAG also received grants from notable organizations such as the Wagner Foundation, Girlfriend Fund, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which awarded TUAG two-year support for upcoming exhibitions
ADMINISTRATIVE INITIATIVES
Advancement. This year the A&S Development team raised $41 6M, exceeding the overall goal of $40M This accounted for nearly 24% of $173M raised across Tufts in AY23-24 Of the funds raised, $20 9M supported current operations and $17 8M supported endowed funds Specifically, over $15 5M went to support financial aid, over $12 5M to teaching and research, over $3M towards the student experience, and over $5 5M was unrestricted A&S continues to raise funds to support financial aid, graduate fellowships, and endowed professorships
A&S Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors held two in-person meetings: one in the fall to discuss unionizations that was followed by a dinner with invited students at the home of Chair David Chang and one in the spring focused on budget challenges and a review of the last decade of successes and challenges for the school Following the spring meeting, the Board honored outgoing dean James Glaser and his wife Pamella Endo with a scholarship in their name. Carnot Evans and Viki Garth stepped down from the Board, while Jeff Stibel and Celia Rumsey joined the board this year
A&S Dean’s Office and AS&E Shared Division Leadership. After 33 years at Tufts 21 of which were in dean roles, Dean of Arts and Sciences James Glaser announced that he would leave Tufts at the end of the fiscal year to become the Executive Vice President and Provost at Santa Clara University in California and was awarded the University’s Hosea Ballou Medal and an appointment as Dean Emeritus by Provost Caroline Genco in recognition of his service to Tufts GSAS Dean Bárbara Brizuela was appointed interim dean and Issacson-Miller search firm was hired to execute a national search for the next A&S Dean Heather Nathans, Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, announced her intention to step down from her deanship by Fall 2024 In the AS&E Shared
Division, Ashley Rose Salomon joined the Student Life team as the inaugural Restorative Practices Program Director.
Budget and Planning. A&S ended the year with a surplus of $5 0M, $0 4M better than budget The financial result represented a planned decrease from AY22-23, as needed investments were made in both faculty lines and faculty salaries, and staff positions were added while turnover was reduced, resulting in more staffing in the AS&E Shared Division in particular SMFA finished the year with a surplus of $2 3M, well above its budget target, and an improvement of $1M from the AY22-23 result
As a result of enrollment challenges and expense pressures across the university, the schools were asked to improve their financial results substantially in AY24-25 Budgets will be extremely tight as a result, and A&S has reduced faculty hires as one of the many actions needed to achieve this goal
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Efforts. The ADDIs oversaw the launch of the A&S DEIJ Committee, composed of faculty, staff, and students. The committee met on a monthly basis throughout the academic year to review progress to date on the School’s DEIJ Strategic Plan, and to learn from key players across the university Admissions, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Inclusive Excellence (OIIE) team about important developments related to the 2023 SCOTUS decision, proposed changes to the undergraduate general education curriculum, and the revised structure of the OIIE During its final meeting of the academic year, the committee identified key priorities for their focus next year.
The AS&E Diversity Fund Committee met five times throughout the academic year to disburse support for a wide range of initiatives, including campus events, performances, and guest lecturers to supplement course and co-curricular offerings
As part of an ongoing effort to support retention for junior faculty members (including full-time lecturers, professors of the practice, and tenure-stream colleagues), A&S launched a biweekly Pilot Mentoring Program open to faculty who have joined Tufts within the past five years These casual breakfast meetings alternated between social time and informational sessions on subjects including “University 101,” grants and fellowships, DEIJ projects, and creating teaching portfolios Faculty members were also offered opportunities to be paired with individual mentors for more intensive, one-on-one support in specific areas
A&S and the OIIE supported a second round of the “Start at the Source” curriculum transformation project, which involved 13 professors collaborating to develop or redesign eight courses to explore questions related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
THE SHARED DIVISIONS (REPORTING TO BOTH A&S AND ENGINEERING)
Student Life. Led by Camille Lizarríbar in her fourth year as Dean of Students and Chief Student Life Officer for AS&E, Student Life continued to transform programs and resources that support the Tufts student community. Despite the time and energy dedicated to campus protests, the Division of Student Life accomplished a great deal this year There was a lot of excellent work accomplished by the staff, from year-end programming to providing support and preserving campus as a safe and welcoming place.
After ongoing refinement, the Student Life Strategic Plan was made publicly available. The Student Life team advanced many of the plan’s initiatives that are significantly improving the student experience A few highlights include the following:
Over the past 18 months, Student Life began introducing restorative practices into their work with an approach that brings a framework based on ethical practices that was informed and developed by indigenous cultures. More than 40 staff completed training in this area and the first Director of Restorative Practices, Ashley Rose Salomon, was recruited She will work closely with two new restorative justice leaders in Tisch College and the Provost’s Office
Student Life collaborated with the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) to refine the first-year, sophomore, and senior surveys for this academic year. A cohort of Student Life team members reviewed the surveys and updated the questions to ensure the most useful data was collected and OIR presented this year’s findings to the Division in June, enabling the Student Life team to make informed plans and decisions around future programming
The Residential Life team expanded programming, improved the frequency of social events in university housing, and introduced a new type of program––the neighborhood event––which is a larger, social event that brings together students who live in nearby buildings This new approach created a structure for Residential Life Coordinators and Resident Assistants to be more present and available to students by holding a specific number of “open drop-in hours ” Substance free living options and programming was also expanded In addition, the team accommodated as many students as possible wishing to live in campus housing, achieving almost complete occupancy this year
Student Life’s goal to build partnership with Greek Life and develop programming that is safe and inclusive continued Greek Life organizations sharpen their focus on community service, and a new culturally-based sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. increased chapter numbers. The University also purchased 80 Professors Row, the former house of Zeta Psi fraternity, which may lead to housing and other opportunities for students in the future.
A comprehensive digital resource was launched for students to explore guidelines, best practices, and policies related to free expression This new website aims to be a positive source of information for student activists and aligns with Student Life’s philosophy of being educators. Content will be expanded in anticipation of fall activism, both in terms of ongoing international events and the U S presidential election.
The Student Support team increased their preventive work through community education. More than 30 new, tailored trainings and presentations for faculty, staff, and students were developed this year Topics included best practices in the field of student support; responding to mental health crises; options, supports, and policies relevant to students of concern; risk mitigation and liability concerns; equity and ethical considerations; and building help-seeking and decision-making skills
Division of Undergraduate Education. In addition to advising all undergraduates and supporting students’ academic journeys, staff in Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies focused on the pilot for a new registration procedure, which was very well received by students and faculty alike Arts and Sciences advising deans worked with the Committee on Academic Standing and Honors to adjust policies on academic standing to better support students in academic jeopardy
The Student Accessibility and Academic Resource (StAAR) Center, continued to see an increase in the number and complexity of need from students across all its programs as more students identify as having more than one disability, which requires multiple considerations around accommodation decisions The Academic Success Coaching team met with students over 1,500 times around executive functioning needs, challenges caused by mental health situations, and guided students on different approaches to working in groups and with faculty. The coaching team also increased its resources for specific programs (BEST, BLAST, A++, EN5, GREAT, and Rise) Tutoring resources were widely used (over 5,000 one-on-one appointments), especially in STEM courses. The Writing Center provided over 4,300 (1,000 more than last year) one-on-one student appointments All graduate writing retreats were filled, and undergraduate writing workshops were well attended, especially those designed specifically for ESL students The Writing Fellows program worked in conjunction with 23 different faculty to support students through their written assignments. StAAR took on an exam pilot, in which the office offered exam proctoring services to large Tufts courses The Center also spent considerable time supporting students, staff, and faculty with one-on-one consultations, customized workshops for specific courses or bridge programs, and supplying guidance on access across the campus The StAAR Team revitalized the Faculty Advisory Board, and continued the UDL Fellow program as it began its second cohort.
This year Tufts Global Education (TGE) saw an impressive record of 647 students participating in semester- and year-long education abroad with another 158 students participating in short-term programs TGE introduced a new faculty-led course, Global Design in Colombia, relaunched the Tübingen European Studies BEST and BLAST summer program, and partnered on the Summer Chinese Language Program in Beijing The successful Tufts-in-Pavia program continues to grow each year Eighty-nine students studied abroad over the summer on independent external programs to over 35 countries Tufts Global Education will introduce several new university partners this fall and expand the portfolio of faculty-led initiatives and summer programs After positive student and faculty feedback on the new Tufts-in-Japan-program, Tufts will officially join the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies New university partnerships in Madrid and Hong Kong this fall with a focus on STEM majors International staff and Medford-campus partners highlighted student education and preparation with the Know Before You Go workshop series focusing on international health & safety, identity, finance, budgets, accommodations, mental wellbeing, and other current student life discussions
Registrar’s Office and Student Services. The Registrar’s Office and Student Services made significant process improvements this year to the benefit of students, parents, faculty, and staff A scheduling blueprint was made for five STEM departments to improve scheduling and allow students to plan better by committing to set scheduling year-over-year The office continued supporting Financial Aid with the FAFSA simplification project. A new process for course registration was piloted which was intended to make registration more equitable for all AS&E undergraduates The changes were very well received and addressed student and faculty concerns about the inherent disadvantage that Arts and Sciences undergraduates have had in registering for courses, while at the same time retaining priority access for undergraduate Engineering and SMFA students for courses essential to their degree progress.
Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion (DSDI). During AY23-24, the DSDI Centers continued to work individually and collaboratively to support students through programming, academic related initiatives, peer mentorship, and one-on-one meetings. Throughout the year the DSDI team members continued to work with Student Life, Admissions, Library staff, faculty, and others DSDI team members also worked with Career Services to roll-out the DSDI resume book for the second year, with participation from 77 students, four of which were awarded job opportunities directly from the resume book initiative There were also significant anniversary milestones celebrated this year: the Asian American Center celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Latinx Center celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the First Resource Center celebrated its fifth anniversary These milestones were commemorated with student-involved programming Each DSDI center also honored their seniors through various graduation celebrations and for the first year graduate students were included in some of the graduation festivities
Tisch Library. Tisch, Lilly, and the SMFA Libraries focused on two substantial initiatives, one in the physical realm and one in the digital The library worked all year with architects Shepley Bulfinch to reimagine Tisch for current and future generations of Jumbos with exciting renovations that will unfold in the coming years Simultaneously, the library worked with partners to better understand Tufts’ research needs and where to make smart investments in the future of its digital library infrastructure
Librarians led for-credit courses, partnering with humanities faculty in A&S and SMFA for a one-credit course on “Global Book Cultures” using special collections from both libraries, and two Ex College courses: “Reimagining the Library,” leading to a cohort of undergraduate fellows working on followup projects, and a course on “Banned Books.”
In April Tisch hosted the 2024 Greater Boston Digital Research and Pedagogy Symposium, with over 130 attendees from more than 40 institutions Several Tufts faculty and staff presented and served on planning committees.
The library maintains a focus on ensuring inclusive and equitable services. To help address course material affordability, a team from Tisch and TTS worked to acquire more ebook copies of required textbooks, starting with data from the bookstore, and integrating into Canvas. Programming in the DSDI Community Research Hub continues to grow, and the space has been refreshed with flexible furniture and new décor