Those of you who received the print version of the A&S newsletter may have noticed that it has a new look. The redesign is part of a larger project to update the College’s visual identity so that it more effectively communicates the many facets of Arts and Sciences.

The process of developing a new visual identity was more challenging than I could have imagined. How does one convey the essence of this complex college with a logo or mark? How can one visually express the importance of Arts and Sciences’ liberal arts tradition and its progressiveness simultaneously? Fortunately, we were able to tap the expertise of those who know the College best: our students.

For months, a class of visual communication design majors in the School of Art worked on this ambitious project, with guidance from experienced designer Anne Traver. Their dedication to the project and the creativity of their ideas was spectacular. I met with the class on several occasions and left each meeting even more excited about the project and even more impressed with the quality of the students’ work. It was, quite simply, the highlight of my year.

The new identity is abstract and manages to suggest—with one grounded stroke, and another soaring skyward—the importance of both tradition and innovation in the College. It will now appear on all A&S materials. I hope you will embrace it, as I have, and appreciate all that it represents.

While talented design students spent long hours in the Art Building developing the College’s visual identity, other students were far from campus, participating in study abroad programs. The range of opportunities for study abroad is immense, as evidenced by the recent offerings highlighted in this issue of A&S Perspectives.

Students participating in a year-long “Memory, Identity, Conflict, and Dialogue” program traveled to Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Cyprus to explore the role of identity in conflicts around the globe. Described by students as both “powerful” and “exhausting,” the program—offered by the Comparative History of Ideas Program—was a defining experience for all involved.

Other international opportunities described in this newsletter include a three-week program in Rome offered by the Department of Scandinavian Studies; a tri-University course offered by the UW Canadian Studies Center, University of British Columbia, and Western Washington University; a trip to Beijing for visual communication design students and faculty as part of a collaborative project with Tsinghua University; and visits to Morocco by Center for Women + Democracy board members and other leaders, to train Moroccan women political candidates.

These examples only hint at the many ways the College of Arts and Sciences is reaching out to other nations. The College is dedicated to increasing its international opportunities, recognizing their importance in preparing students for our global society.

Enjoy traveling the world, in your armchair, as you read through A&S Perspectives. I welcome your comments on our programs and our new visual identity.

Sincerely,

David Hodge
Dean
206-543-5340
hodge@u.washington.edu

[Autumn 2002 - Table of Contents]