Q: With today’s emphasis on pre-professional education, why is studying the liberal arts still a valuable pursuit?

A: A liberal arts education is more valuable than ever, given the rate of change in an increasingly diverse and global civilization. The liberal arts give students not only depth in a particular field, but, more important, a unique breadth of knowledge and a full set of basic skills that are crucial in any walk of professional life. It is a mistake to equate an educated person with a person who has merely been trained. Studying literature and mathematics, science and the arts, language and writing with faculty and fellow students with different backgrounds and outlooks is a priceless challenge. It is an experience that only a liberal arts education can provide.

Q: Since you became Dean of Arts and Sciences, what do you feel your greatest challenge has been, and conversely, your most important accomplishment?

A: I have focused on maintaining the high quality of our teaching and research missions, and I am glad to say that the College is setting new records in terms of student achievement, sponsored research, and gift support. I am also happy with our success in enriching undergraduate communication, activities, and living environment.

Q: What goals are you leading the College of Arts and Sciences toward in the immediate future?

A: There are a great many initiatives under way, as is always the case at the College of Arts and Sciences, where innovation and creativity thrive at the heart of all our disciplines. A sampling of some of our current endeavors shows the breadth of our aspirations: we are actively planning to enhance our programs in environmental sciences and policy, in African and African-American studies, in the humanities, and in the languages and cultures of the Muslim world. And our important new Life Science and Engineering Building will soon be open for classes and laboratory research, significantly increasing our opportunities in the biosciences, a field in which Boston University is a demonstrated leader.

Q: The College of Arts and Sciences boasts some of the most impressive and accomplished faculty members in the University. What is your approach to hiring faculty, and to finding a good balance between great researchers and great teachers?

A: The main work of recruiting first-rate faculty is done by the first-rate faculty we already have; my role is to support our departments in whatever way I can in attracting those candidates whom our faculty feel would advance our academic excellence. Our emphasis on teaching, which is very unusual for a top-level research university, ensures that the College of Arts and Sciences hires those leaders in their fields who are also enthusiastic teachers and who appreciate a supportive teaching environment. That’s one of the features of the College that attracted me, as a scholar and teacher, when I came here as chairman of the classical studies department in 1991.

Q: What sets the College of Arts and Sciences apart from other liberal arts institutions?

A: What distinguishes the College of Arts and Sciences is our combination of world-class research and dedicated teaching. We are the fourth-largest private university in the country, and yet we feel like a smaller college. We pay more attention than any other big university college to undergraduate teaching; all our faculty are highly engaged; and the undergraduate experience is a priority on a par with research. The Arts and Sciences experience is about creativity, innovation, and individual excellence. We’re different because of the people here, the extremely dedicated teachers and administrators who work together to provide the best undergraduate education in the best collegiate city in America.