Leah Naomi Green, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, taking advantage of W&L's outdoor teaching space.

Note from the Dean's Office

The first day of spring is officially March 20, but signs of newness already abound. In a bow to the idea of rebirth, let's take a break from all things pandemic to focus on the ways our collective work dares to bloom alongside the spring flowers. Your Faculty Activity Reports—those reflective documents that record your refusal to be stymied by the audacity of 2020 and early 2021—leave me inspired and invigorated. Similarly, our Spring Term course roster, undeterred by the absence of international and domestic travel courses, boasts an impressive collection of new courses and stalwart offerings that confirm the continued magic of a W&L spring. Our drive toward University goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring, department and program initiatives, and co-curricular events attests to a resilience resolved to look ahead rather than back. To that end, please be on the lookout for LACRELA report sessions that will provide invaluable tools to do this work. As major decisions remain on the W&L horizon, I trust we will meet every challenge with our characteristic strength of purpose and commitment to community.

I leave you with two favorite musical numbers that seem appropriate for this sunny Monday in the Shenandoah Valley's Lex Vegas. Let's climb every mountain and ease on down the road with Julie Andrews, Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Tim Lubin, the Jessie Ball DuPont Professor of Religion

Tim Lubin was appointed the Jessie Ball DuPont Professor of Religion shortly before he received two prestigious awards: a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship and an American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship for his project "Appropriation of Indian Dharma and Law on the Peripheries." Tim's highly regarded research reflects his interdisciplinary approach to teaching as well as his active participation in founding the MESA and LJS interdisciplinary programs.

Dan Johnson, the David G. Elmes Term Associate Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science

Professor Dan Johnson was recently appointed the David G. Elmes Term Professorship of Cognitive and Behavioral Science. Dan played a vital role in establishing the Data Science Center at Washington and Lee, where students work on a wide range of projects that include building an algorithm to automatically assess the creativity of short stories to investigating gender biased language in NCAA sports.

Nominate someone for the Faculty Spotlight here!

The Office of Communications would love to share the many faculty achievements that are happening across campus! Please go to the Faculty Accolades form to submit some of the amazing things you or your faculty peers have accomplished.

Dates and Deadlines