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Dear LAS faculty and staff,

For several months, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been working on developing a series of research “signature themes.” These themes will give our college’s research enterprise a strategic focus and a recognizable identity. The LAS Dean’s Office, in collaboration with the LAS department chairs, developed the first drafts. This fall, I visited faculty meetings in every LAS department, and many of you voiced suggestions in our discussions. These have also been reflected in the current draft, which we are sharing with you today.

The themes will define the college’s scholarly vision and provide a framework for faculty hiring and collaborations. They build on current areas of excellence and will guide the college as we continue to strengthen our national and international recognition and provide innovative leadership in pedagogy and curriculum development for our students.

We now have a brief description of five signature themes, posted on an LAS discussion forum, which I would like to share with you. Please click on this link, https://las.cypoint.iastate.edu/discussion, then click on the “Continue to Sign In” button, and use your ISU NET ID and your password to sign in.

Your feedback matters. Please take time to read the draft document and post your comments for everyone to see and discuss. The link to the comment section is at the very bottom of the document. If you prefer not to share your comments with everyone, send me an email at schmittb@iastate.edu. Your comments will be most helpful if posted by January 31, 2013.

Shortly after that date, the LAS department chairs and deans will discuss your input and develop the final version of the LAS Signature Themes, which will be distributed broadly. Roughly every other year, we will take time to review our progress and invite your suggestions for new or modified themes.

Best wishes, Beate

P.S. If you have questions about using this discussion forum, contact Steve Jones at jones@iastate.edu.