Dean’s Message, January 2012
Dean David Carl Wilson
Global thinking can create an unrelenting and unwelcome sense of busy-ness. As Webster alum and award-winning poet Travis Mossotti notes, “Everyone, no matter what country of origin or occupation, seems busy these days.” But what ultimately matters, both politically and personally, is peace. In this issue of Global Thinking, we appreciate Mossoti’s notion that “if more people would read more poetry more often, we all might learn to slow down once in a while and appreciate each other, a sunset, the smell of grass, etc. It’s what I treasure most about poetry—how decidedly un-busy it is.”
We also introduce you here to two more English alums, Caitlin Morse and Molly Pearson (2011), who recently took part in panels at a professional academic conference. What makes Caitlin’s and Molly’s presentations on Jane Austen so remarkable is that their research was done as undergraduates.
Our faculty continues to produce interesting and insightful work, as evidenced by Don Morse, associate professor of philosophy, and Mary Lai Preuss, assistant professor of biology. Don’s new book, Faith in Life: John Dewey’s Early Philosophy offers a fresh perspective on the American pragmatist. Mary studies curly root hairs in model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a genetic mutation, with the hope of understanding secrets of plant growth.
Two of our professors in Geneva, Roslyn Thomas and Patricia Esparza, headed up a stellar counseling conference in October. Around 200 people—professionals as well as lay members of the community—attended Building Bridges: Supporting Individuals & Families in Transition. See the story and photos. This conference emphasized the year-long A&S theme of refugee and migration issues.
Some of our most notable students are in our Global M.A. in International Relations program. Learn about current Global students’ volunteer efforts for Bangkok flood relief as well as a 2010-11 student’s promise to himself (which he fulfilled) to run long-distance races at every study stop.
Here is hoping that your holiday season and your new year are full of decidedly un-busy moments.
David Carl Wilson
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
Webster University
