Interim Dean Lee A. Thompson | Photo by Roger Mastroianni

Every so often, when I meet with alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences, we find ourselves reminiscing about our time as undergraduates. I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Case Western Reserve in 1982, and it turns out that many people I knew back then—and others I didn’t know until now—enjoy sharing memories of their student days as much as I do. Many of us, for instance, still remember taking study breaks after midnight and heading over to Presti’s Bakery in Little Italy, where we bought doughnuts fresh from the oven, hours before they were available to the general public.

More than anything, we alumni welcome the chance to praise our favorite professors—eminent scholars and researchers who were also devoted teachers, advisors and role models. Our relationships with these faculty members enriched our education and helped set the course for the rest of our lives. And we all want today’s students to have similarly transformative experiences, working with outstanding professors who inspire and support them.

I am proud to say that the college’s tradition of faculty excellence endures— and I’m never short of examples to illustrate this point. For instance, Johanna Nagy, assistant professor in physics, has been named a 2024 Cottrell Scholar, an award presented annually to a select group of early-career scientists. Cassi Pittman Claytor, associate professor in sociology, received the 2023 A. Wade Smith Award for Teaching, Mentoring and Service from the Association of Black Sociologists. And Gillian Weiss, professor in history, was the co-recipient of two awards for a monograph she wrote with art historian Meredith Martin of New York University. Their groundbreaking study, The Sun King at Sea: Maritime Art and Galley Slavery in Louis XIV’s France, won the 2023 David H. Pinkney Prize for the most distinguished book in French history by a citizen of the United States or Canada, and the Kenshur Prize for the best book in 18th-century studies.

I also tell our alumni about the exciting faculty hires we are making across the College of Arts and Sciences. Under President Eric W. Kaler’s leadership, the university plans to appoint 100 net new tenured and tenure-track faculty members by 2028, and the college is a major beneficiary of this effort. This year, we have 18 searches underway, and the quality of the candidates is extraordinary.

We owe a tremendous debt to the faculty members who helped establish the college’s reputation and make it such an appealing destination. In saying this, I particularly wish to honor the memory of several esteemed colleagues we recently lost. Arnold Caplan, Gilbert Doho and Mary Ann Horn were active participants in our academic community until shortly before their deaths; Donald Freedheim and Tim Shuckerow had retired after decades of distinguished service. We recall their contributions in this issue, and I am forever grateful for everything they did to advance the college’s mission

Lee A. Thompson, PhD
Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University
Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences