Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As 1998 came to a close, a team of A&S faculty and graduate students received an impressive distinction. They were part of a research project that Science magazine named "the science breakthrough of the year." The research team's findings suggest that the universe is expanding more rapidly than previously thought.

This fascinates me, particularly since my own experience indicates just the opposite--that the world is shrinking a little bit every year.

Maybe it just seems that way because the College's presence abroad and its collaborations with foreign institutions continue to grow. Just recently, three exchange agreements have been developed with Italian universities in Bologna, Pavia, and Rome. In January, a group of A&S students headed to South Africa for a new one-quarter Comparative History of Ideas (CHID) course. And each spring, an astonishing variety of study abroad programs is offered.

As we continue to build connections with other parts of the world, we look to alumni for support and guidance. Right now, thousands of UW alumni live outside the U.S. for personal or professional reasons. They have been an invaluable resource as we build ties with institutions abroad and strengthen our emphasis on international studies. In this issue, three expatriate alumni--a neuroscientist, an editor, and a China specialist--share their stories.

Also in this issue is a subject closer to home--at least for me. Each day as I sit in my office, I have the pleasure of looking at wonderful artworks created by UW students. The pieces hang on my wall thanks to the Art on Loan program, through which the School of Art loans student paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, and ceramics for display in campus locations.

I am eager to highlight this program for several reasons. First, the work is terrific and deserves a larger audience. But I also believe that Art on Loan can play an invaluable role in the artists' educational experience. In every discipline, it is important that students nearing graduation make the transition from thinking about course work as a set of prescribed exercises to thinking about their own work as actually contributing to others. The Art on Loan program does that while simultaneously enriching those of us who have the pleasure of viewing the artwork.

I encourage those of you working on campus to take advantage of the Art on Loan program and those of you visiting campus to enjoy the student artwork on display in the A&S Dean's Office, the HUB, and other public locations across campus. It is a wonderful reminder of the exceptional talent of our students.

Sincerely,

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

[Winter 1999 - Table of Contents]