Letter from the Dean of Letters and Science

Fall semester is well underway, and there is much to celebrate this year! UW-Madison’s freshman class is, once again, the largest in history, and it is also the most diverse. Here in L&S, we have a student body full of talent and we are providing a world-class experience for those students.  Engagement at SuccessWorks, our innovative career advising center, is at record levels. 

One of my top priorities is to make sure we have a welcoming and inclusive environment in which all of our students can thrive and feel at home.  I am thrilled with the work happening in our Center for Academic Excellence.  CAE continues to provide a

strong community of support, guidance, mentoring and connection for students from underrepresented groups, from the time they set foot on campus until the day they graduate. Our new leader of CAE, Karen Stroud-Felton, is setting ambitious goals including a digital-first strategy to share students’ stories in their own words.

Great people and strong teamwork are pushing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts forward in every department in L&S. As our Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion DeVon Wilson put it, “this is mission work.” Visit ls.wisc.edu/about/diversity-and-inclusion to learn more about college-level initiatives and check in with your department about how to get involved.

We welcomed our largest cohort ever of new faculty this fall, and we celebrated 18 colleagues in an Investiture Ceremony that recognized both our great faculty and the wonderful donors who made those professorships and chairs possible.

We need world-class spaces in which to learn, teach, and carry out research.  We look forward to seeing the new building for Computer, Data & Information Sciences begin to rise in 2023 and we are deep in the design phase for Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall. 

As I reflect on our progress, I am constantly reminded that together, we can and will make a difference.  Thank you for all you do for the College of Letters & Science!

On, Wisconsin!

Eric Wilcots, Dean

Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy

UW-Madison College of Letters & Science