Looking Ahead Together in 2026

As we begin the new year, I’ve been spending time reflecting on what a College of Arts and Sciences education is designed to do.

At its core, a CAS education goes beyond depth in a single discipline. It prepares students to work through ambiguity, connect ideas across fields, collaborate with others, and engage with questions that do not yet have clear answers. That learning happens in many places: in the classrooms, labs, studios, field sites, and student-led communities where ideas are tested and refined in real time.

This approach is central to our Career Ready, World Ready initiative. As technology continues to change how information is accessed and shared, skills like collaboration, judgment, creativity, and belonging matter more than ever. Our focus is on being intentional about where and how students develop those skills, rather than assuming they will emerge on their own.

This work is taking place amid significant changes in higher education. Land-grant universities are navigating shifting demographics, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change, while remaining accountable to the commitments that define them. In CAS, we are working to provide access and opportunities, as well as practical preparation for what comes next.

Below are a few moments from the past semester that reflect this work in practice: 

Highlights

• Matthew McCluskey, Physics & Astronomy
  McCluskey was named a 2025 American Physical Society (APS) Fellow for contributions to semiconductor materials and microscopic scanning techniques.
  Matthew McCluskey named 2025 American Physical Society Fellow 
• Spokane Symphony Soloists
  WSU students, Carter Mitchell (euphonium) and Jordan Slaughter (flute) won the Young Artist Competitions in their respective divisions at the 2025 MusicFest Northwest. 
• Jonah Piovia-Scott, School of Biological Sciences
  Piovia-Scott was awarded a $531,217 NSF grant (beginning January 2026) to study beaver-based restoration strategies for conserving freshwater biodiversity.
  ‘Beaver mimicry’ shows range of ecological benefits 
• Cheryl Schultz, School of Biological Sciences
  Schultz, a nationally recognized expert on monarch butterfly migration, was recently quoted on the cover of The New York Times for her research. 
• Patty Wilde, English and Director of Composition (WSU Tri-Cities)
  Wilde published a new book, Winning Our Wonder, which examines how Civil War narratives of influential women have evolved across print and digital spaces. 
• Pierce Greenberg (former Sociology graduate student), Erik Johnson, and Jen Schwartz, Department of Sociology
  Their research paper, recently published in Nature Sustainability, finds that social and economic factors, rather than environmental conditions, shape where federal environmental crime prosecutions occur in the U.S.

Together, these highlights reflect the breadth of scholarship, creative activity, and student achievement taking place across the college.

Thank you for your continued engagement in this work and for the role you play in the CAS community as we begin the year ahead.

Happy New Year,

Courtney Meehan
Dean