Schaal: ‘The world needs Arts & Sciences’

(From left) Barbara A. Schaal, PhD, who became dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis on Jan. 1, chats with Rafia Zafar, PhD, professor of English, of African and African-American studies, and of American culture studies and associate dean for diversity and inclusiveness, and Kimberly Curtis, PhD, assistant dean for graduate student affairs in Arts & Sciences, during a Jan. 16 welcome reception in Schaal’s honor. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Provost Edward S. Macias, PhD, hosted the event at the St. Louis Club and made remarks. Schaal, who is the Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biology, noted the breadth and depth of Arts & Sciences in her remarks and said she is looking forward to working across disciplines. “The world needs Arts & Sciences,” Schaal said. “As a country and as a planet, we face unprecedented challenges that require interdisciplinary solutions. Within Arts & Sciences, we have close to 400 faculty contributing to their chosen fields. It is their research and commitment to teaching that will help address the global threat of climate change, ongoing challenges in public health, economics and government and the ever-present ethical questions that confront us as individuals and as a society.” Photo by Joe Angeles