Dear Arts and Science Friends:

Yesterday I shared lunch and conversation with a group of Arts and Science juniors and seniors.  As it often does, the conversation turned to the topic of life … after the second Friday in May.  Where does the liberal arts curriculum lead our Arts and Science students after Commencement?

We have Arts and Science alumni who majored in English and now broker multimillion-dollar international agreements, art majors who direct highly visible social media companies, and history majors who run corporations. The College of Arts and Science has produced language teachers, financial analysts, small-business owners, and more—all told, thousands of alumni with fulfilling careers in every profession.

Employers and recruiters say they value Arts and Science graduates for their ability to reason, solve problems, and communicate, as well as for the breadth of their knowledge. Recently, 93 percent of employers surveyed said that those liberal arts skills were more important than a job candidate’s major.

In less than three months, the members of the Class of 2014 will join the workforce, pursue further education, or start new ventures. Typically, nearly two-thirds of our Arts and Science graduates will have jobs before Commencement. Nationwide, research shows that liberal arts graduates do well financially and have long, satisfying careers.

Our experience here in the College of Arts and Science verifies those findings—and so do the lives and careers of our alumni, past and present.

Best regards,

Carolyn Dever

What is $10,000, Alex?
Senior Eric Turner came in third in the Jeopardy! College Tournament semifinals.The neuroscience and history major walked away with $10,000 and photos of host Alex Trebek throwing the VU sign.

Other Arts and Science stories
The New York Times, New York Magazine and other media profile author Lorrie Moore, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English; CBS News and USA Today talk to John Vrooman about the NFL’s $25 billion goal; and research by Laurence Zwiebel and Jason Pitt regarding the smelling ability of mosquito sperm intrigued the media, including The New York Times, National Geographic and Science News.