Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues:
Welcome to the start of another academic year. Whatever your summer activities – research away from campus, teaching a Maymester class, or continuing important administrative duties for one of our academic programs -- I hope you look forward to the this new year as much as I do.
Like some of you, I spent part of the summer outside the US. I visited our study abroad students and partners in Hong Kong, Kunming and Beijing. Like most first visits to Asia, this trip opened my eyes to a very different world.
The first big eye-opener was seeing just how challenging it is to operate academic programs involving our faculty and students thousands of miles from Chapel Hill. The logistical, financial and cultural considerations are enormously complex, but the learning experiences for our students and colleagues, and the new partnerships we are developing in Asia, make it all worthwhile. I’m so impressed at the skill shown by our study abroad team and faculty colleagues, and the enthusiasm of our students, as they negotiate the many challenges associated with studying and working in another land and culture.
I was especially struck by the rigor and value of the full immersion Chinese language programs and the extraordinary commitment that our students make to cultural literacy and language fluency.
The second thing that struck me was the different approach to intellectual property in China. Shrink-wrapped, fully functional boot-leg copies of Microsoft Windows and Office were selling in the street markets for $1, and the movie on our flight from Kunming to Beijing was shown from a pirated DVD. China’s economy may be booming but the laws associated with its commerce are still evolving. I understand this intellectually, but to witness it firsthand imprinted the lesson in a way that a single classroom lecture couldn’t.
I know that our students in China have been learning lots of important lessons about the global economy, about other cultures, and about themselves as they negotiate daily life in another land.
As we embark on the semester, I’m also excited about new incoming classes of outstanding undergraduates and graduate students, and the 42 excellent new colleagues who have joined our faculty in the College.
I’m also pleased with some of the changes we’ve made in our operations. For example, former Interim Dean Madeline Levine and I were able to work together to move the faculty search authorizations earlier into the summer, allowing many departments to recruit at their national meetings. Including unfilled searches from last year, we will be looking for 44 new tenured or tenure-track colleagues this year. We look forward to working with all of you as we identify and attract these new scholars of all ranks.
Also, congratulations to Madeline, Senior Associate Dean Bill Andrews and our departmental colleagues in landing the new grant for our program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, which is described in greater detail on our web site.
I and our outstanding team of senior associate deans and administrative staff in 205 South are ready to serve you throughout the year. Let’s make it another great one.
Best wishes,
Holden Thorp
Dean
Welcome to the start of another academic year. Whatever your summer activities – research away from campus, teaching a Maymester class, or continuing important administrative duties for one of our academic programs -- I hope you look forward to the this new year as much as I do.
Like some of you, I spent part of the summer outside the US. I visited our study abroad students and partners in Hong Kong, Kunming and Beijing. Like most first visits to Asia, this trip opened my eyes to a very different world.
The first big eye-opener was seeing just how challenging it is to operate academic programs involving our faculty and students thousands of miles from Chapel Hill. The logistical, financial and cultural considerations are enormously complex, but the learning experiences for our students and colleagues, and the new partnerships we are developing in Asia, make it all worthwhile. I’m so impressed at the skill shown by our study abroad team and faculty colleagues, and the enthusiasm of our students, as they negotiate the many challenges associated with studying and working in another land and culture.
I was especially struck by the rigor and value of the full immersion Chinese language programs and the extraordinary commitment that our students make to cultural literacy and language fluency.
The second thing that struck me was the different approach to intellectual property in China. Shrink-wrapped, fully functional boot-leg copies of Microsoft Windows and Office were selling in the street markets for $1, and the movie on our flight from Kunming to Beijing was shown from a pirated DVD. China’s economy may be booming but the laws associated with its commerce are still evolving. I understand this intellectually, but to witness it firsthand imprinted the lesson in a way that a single classroom lecture couldn’t.
I know that our students in China have been learning lots of important lessons about the global economy, about other cultures, and about themselves as they negotiate daily life in another land.
As we embark on the semester, I’m also excited about new incoming classes of outstanding undergraduates and graduate students, and the 42 excellent new colleagues who have joined our faculty in the College.
I’m also pleased with some of the changes we’ve made in our operations. For example, former Interim Dean Madeline Levine and I were able to work together to move the faculty search authorizations earlier into the summer, allowing many departments to recruit at their national meetings. Including unfilled searches from last year, we will be looking for 44 new tenured or tenure-track colleagues this year. We look forward to working with all of you as we identify and attract these new scholars of all ranks.
Also, congratulations to Madeline, Senior Associate Dean Bill Andrews and our departmental colleagues in landing the new grant for our program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, which is described in greater detail on our web site.
I and our outstanding team of senior associate deans and administrative staff in 205 South are ready to serve you throughout the year. Let’s make it another great one.
Best wishes,
Holden Thorp
Dean
