LETTER FROM THE DEAN At this time last year, I was only a couple of months into my tenure as dean. Even then, I knew I had made the right decision in coming to both CAS and OSU. What I didn’t know was how many unique challenges 2020 would bring, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m so proud of the way our leadership, faculty, staff and students have responded to this once-in-a-lifetime situation. Last March, we transitioned entirely to online classes after spring break, allowing students to continue learning from home and our faculty to continue their teaching and research on a campus that had plenty of room for social distancing. And it gave us time to think of creative ways to make it all work this semester, when most students have returned for face-to-face classes in rooms much larger than normal. Small classes are being held in large lecture halls, and large classes are in even bigger spaces such as indoor basketball courts. We continue to offer high-quality virtual classes, and we now have a new program to extend such opportunities to an even broader audience. Cowboy Concurrent Online benefits high school students looking to get a jump-start on college. The program increases accessibility for general education credits through reduced cost and broadening beyond physical location. Rural Oklahomans can participate just as easily as those who live near community colleges and universities. We have utilized funds from both the Puterbaugh Foundation Chair and the Dean’s Excellence Fund to get this program started, and we have almost 400 students from 55 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties enrolled in 25 sections in six courses. That is just one way that we are fulfilling the land-grant mission. You can read about many other ways we are doing so in this magazine. And while I enjoy bragging about what our faculty, staff and students are doing, I know it wouldn’t be possible without your support. Thank you for all that you do to help us Connect, Achieve and Succeed! Sincerely, Glen S. Krutz, Ph.D. Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Professor of Political Science Puterbaugh Foundation Chair PHOTO GARY LAWSON OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 1
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