Future of Arts & Sciences

Message from the Dean

During the 2023-2024 academic year, Arts & Sciences launched an exploratory, creative visioning process. The Future of Arts & Sciences initiative provided an opportunity to reflect on our future direction and establish a trajectory for the next five and ten years.

As William & Mary's largest academic unit and home of more than 40 academic departments and programs, Arts & Sciences is at the heart of the university and the student experience. 

Convening stakeholders, leaders from across the university, and the community, the Future of Arts & Sciences committee spent time listening, learning and examining what makes us Arts & Sciences. Where are we now, where are our strengths, and where do we want to be in ten years?

The committee synthesized their findings in a series of reports. Subsequent actions based on the reports included the renaming of Arts & Sciences to the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), and the appointment of a committee to establish a mission statement for CAS during the 2025-2026 academic year.

It is a time of transformative change for the liberal arts and sciences. I look forward to continuing to work with the W&M community to address challenges and leverage opportunities as we step into the next chapter together. 

Suzanne Raitt
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences