I.D.E.A.S. Symposium Charts New Path for College of Arts and Sciences

Former Dean Camellia Moses Okpodu addresses a crowd of Arts and Sciences faculty, staff and students at the I.D.E.A.S. Symposium.

PHOTO BY BRIAN HARRINGTON

I.D.E.A.S.

Charts New Path for College of Arts and Sciences

While Elevations is generally a place to celebrate the important events and the achievements of the students, faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is also important to not shy away from more serious issues facing the college. Perhaps the most pressing issue is the impending reorganization of the college, which began in the summer 2022.

This undertaking can be difficult, but the College of Arts and Sciences is choosing to face this herculean task head on. In April 2022, faculty, students and special guest speakers came together for the I.D.E.A.S. (Imagining the Development and Evolution of Arts and Sciences) Symposium, an event designed to give stakeholders in the college an opportunity to take control of their destiny as well as affirm the college’s place as “the heartbeat of the university.”

A Celebration of Arts and Sciences

The I.D.E.A.S. Symposium came together with the theme of “What Arts and Sciences Can Become.” Former Dean Camellia Okpodu commented on this theme, as well as the college’s obligation and true mission to provide a practical and liberal education as part of a land-grant institution.

“The Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 requires land-grant colleges to provide both a practical and a liberal education to its students,” Okpodu says. “As we move forward to establish a new college focused on the humanities, arts and social sciences, we must be mindful that we are building for the long-term success of UW and its true historic mission.”

The symposium featured keynote addresses from Feisal Mohamed from Yale University and Gordon Hutner, who is a University of Illinois English professor and also directs the Trowbridge Initiative in American Cultures. Hutner received his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College and his postgraduate degrees from the University of Virginia. Hutner also has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Kentucky and has been a visiting professor at Cornell University and Sapienza University of Rome. He has lectured throughout Europe, Israel, Japan and in the U.S., focusing on topics in American literature.

Mohamed is a Yale University English professor and previously taught at Texas Tech University, the University of Illinois and the City University of New York Graduate Center. He has written six books, including “Sovereignty: Seventeenth-Century England and the Making of the Modern Political Imaginary”; and also co-edited a book with Hutner, “A New Deal for the Humanities: Liberal Arts and the Future of Public Higher Education.”

Along with the keynote addresses, the symposium featured a myriad of presentations from faculty revolving around their recent research in four key areas for the college, including digital humanities; community and global engagement; transdisciplinary studies; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

In addition to the research and updates that were presented, the symposium provided an opportunity for those in attendance to enjoy a performance by the Helios Trio over lunch. The trio, made up of Cellist Beth Vanderborgh, violinist John Fadial and pianist Chi-Chen Wu, is a dynamic ensemble renowned in the world of music that recently was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The performance was yet another example of the excellence currently housed in the College of Arts and Sciences.

IMAGINING the DEVELOPMENT and

John Fadial, Chi-Chen Wu and Beth Vanderborgh of The Helios Trio performed for symposium attendees over lunch, bringing their award-winning music back to UW after recently playing at Carnegie Hall.

PHOTO BY ROBERT BRENT

The Beginning of a New Legacy

While the symposium spotlighted several current and recent achievements of those in the college, ultimately, the event was focused on looking forward. While it is a time of turmoil, it is also a time of opportunity to come together and forge a new path. Guest speaker Faisal Mohamed spoke about this opportunity and how the College of Arts and Sciences is already seizing it.

“This was a wonderful day. You can sense faculty pulling together to find ideas to chart a path forward—a path they’re eager to make the most of,” Mohamed says. “Seeing that kind of commitment to campus and their mission in humanities, arts and social sciences is wonderful. I hope to come back in five years to see how this college has developed.”

The faculty who attended shared this sentiment and believe that there is a much more positive outlook on the future of the college after the event.

“I thought the event was a real success. I’m very excited to see the future direction of this new college and how all the wonderful ideas that were generated today can come together,” says Nevin Aiken, associate professor in the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies. “Having the opportunity to meet with so many colleagues today, and having the chance to sit on their panels and see all the good work that’s going on here, I feel very optimistic about the future of this college.”

The College of Arts and Sciences is one of the longestrunning institutions on campus. While we are going through some changes, the college will continue to strive to be a shining example of what makes the University of Wyoming so great. This symposium is one example, the first of many, that will show the college’s resilience, innovation and, ultimately, desire to control its destiny.

Scott Henkel, director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, along with Arts and Sciences faculty, staff and students came together at the I.D.E.A.S. Symposium to discuss and collaborate on the future direction of the storied college.

PHOTO BY BRIAN HARRINGTON EVOLUTION of ARTS and SCIENCES UW College of Arts and Sciences • 15