Juli wade

Since joining SAS in July 2023 as Executive Dean, I have been impressed by the dedication of the alumni community. I have met some of you at wonderful events like the Scarlet Speakers Series in DC, the Loyal Sons and Daughters dinner, and the Houston Alumni Reception. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming year.

Though I am new to Rutgers, I have spent my career at public research universities as a professor, researcher, and academic leader, mostly recently at the University of Connecticut where I was Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

I come to Rutgers committed to the public research university mission: educating students, supporting our communities, and creating new knowledge. And on all of those fronts, there has been so much to be proud of at SAS this year.

Those of you who happened to be in New Jersey or other parts of the Northeast on April 5 might recall the rather rare incident of the magnitude 4.8 earthquake. What amazed me was the way our geologists in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences sprang into action as soon as the tremors subsided. These dedicated scientists gathered data on the quake, installed seismometers to monitor for aftershocks, and then went on multiple news programs to explain to the public exactly what had happened.

Their scholarly excellence and commitment to serving the larger community is a good example of what public higher education is all about.

There are many more such examples.

In our math department, women mathematicians are gaining national and international renown in a field long dominated by men. In the psychology department, a neuroscientist is researching
ways to develop non-opioid medication that will provide relief to people in chronic pain without the risk of addiction.

One of my major goals is to make sure this culture of excellence continues to thrive into the future. We recently completed a strategic planning process to create a unified vision for SAS (“One SAS”) and a roadmap to achieve it. The SAS Strategic Plan reflects the contributions of faculty, staff, and students who came together to identify priorities and develop effective strategies to accomplish our goals for the next five years. I invite you to peruse the plan on
the SAS homepage.

Finally, a word about our students. Last spring I saw firsthand why the brightest moment of the year is the School of Arts and Sciences Convocation. If you haven’t been to Rutgers in a while, and you’re wondering whether the Scarlet Pride you remember still prevails among younger generations, I can assure you that it does.

It took four convocation ceremonies at the Jersey Mike’s Arena, (which you may remember as “The RAC”), to accommodate the record 3,300 graduates who walked across the stage to shake hands with the SAS deans. Of our more than 5,000 graduates, a third of them were the first in their families to graduate from College.

One of our student speakers, Jinyu Wang, reflected on how the Class of 2024 began their Rutgers years during the uncertainty of the pandemic but forged ahead to a triumphant conclusion.

“Our strength cannot be swept aside by life’s challenges,” Jinyu told the audience. “And each of us who are in the School of Arts and Science will bear that message and carry the torch of
resilience and hope for years to come.”

I so much admire these students’ commitment and dedication. And I am incredibly proud of their accomplishments.

In closing, I want to thank the RAA for its continued support. I look forward to meeting more of you throughout the year.

Sincerely,
Juli Wade