Our college is unique in supporting this kind of interdisciplinary research for graduate students outside traditional disciplinary walls. This far-sighted approach has been one of the reasons our graduate students are so prepared to tackle the important societal issues in the future, almost all of which will require a multidisciplinary approach. Certainly, outstanding graduates attract outstanding faculty to a program and vice versa. This is why it is important that we offer more named fellowships to graduate students. Named graduate fellowships attract the most academically talented students and support their research endeavors.
Graduate students are an irreplaceable link in the chain of any thriving intellectual community.
Thus, meeting the critical need of endowed fellowships for graduate students in the college has the added benefit of raising the caliber of students at both the undergraduate and graduate level. As we await the arrival of our new dean, Dr. Raymond Coward, we will continue to build effectively on our current strengths. We'll maintain our commitment to quality and access, and improve our performance in every aspect of our threefold mission of teaching, research, and service. Through the efforts of our alumni and friends, faculty and students, and our research, this college stands as one of the nation's best and will continue to address the host of complexities facing our society.