Joseph Marbach, Ph.D.

 Welcome to the 2009-10 academic year!  This year promises to be an exciting one for the College of Arts and Sciences and Seton Hall University as we fully begin to implement and finalize both the College's and University's strategic plans.  As you know the College's strategic plan is guided by the vision of being recognized as one of the premier Catholic academic units in the nation.  We are proud that we offer our students a value-ladened, value-oriented and value-added education. 

In addition to welcoming over 800 freshmen and 140 transfer students to the College, we have added 6 tenure-track and term faculty members.  Among them are three dedicated to teaching University Core classes and three replacement hires. 

Visitors to the College will note that the Office of International Programs has been relocated to Arts and Sciences Hall.  This move is a major step forward in the College's and University's plan to centralize student services and create a "one stop shop" for students seeking tutoring, career advice, competitive scholarship guidance, or information on study abroad opportunities.  Additional services will be added as space is made available.  In the very near future A & S Hall will become a comprehensive "Academic Services" Hall. 

With the installation of the new telescope in the observatory, the installation of a special humidifier in the greenhouse and the purchase of new equipment, including one of the most powerful computer cluster on campus (thanks to $1.5 million in earmarked federal grants), the Science and Technology Center is now fully functional and serving a record number of graduate and undergraduate students.   

Thanks to the continued generous support from the President's Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean's speaker's series continues.  Last year, 25 renowned speakers discussing topics that ranged from "Relativistic Views of Knowledge and Morality" to "Sustainability" were brought to campus through this series.  We aim to duplicate that success this year. 

The Arts Council plans four classical concerts, three jazz concerts, a gospel choir concert, and two theater productions that will be performed at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC).  Poetry-in-the-Round will host three readings/performances this fall and the Multicultural Program will sponsor 16 presentations and film screenings over the course of the academic year.  

Programmatically, we are launching a new College Core for students seeking a B.S. degree and new undergraduate degree program in Creative Writing.  As you can see, it is a busy and exciting time for the College of Arts and Sciences.  As always, I am relying on the talent and dedication of our faculty and staff to move the College closer to reaching our goal of becoming a premier Catholic academic institution, and fulfilling our mission of providing "a home for the mind, the heart and the spirit" by fostering the intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of our faculty staff and students.
 

Hazard Zet Forward!

Dean Joseph Marbach
College of Arts and Sciences
marbacjo@shu.edu