Members of the A&S Dean’s Advisory Board who attended the DAB meeting in April.

Once every semester, the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) Dean’s Advisory Board (DAB)—comprising 30 dedicated alumni, parents and friends of A&S—meets with College leadership to help further A&S’s strategic objectives and ensure the College’s continued success and growth. Representing the many career directions A&S graduates are prepared for through their studies and experiential learning, the board includes professionals from across the country, representing diverse fields such as law, media, finance, medicine, non-profits and more.

The group gathered on the Syracuse University campus in April, with some members attending virtually, to hear from College and University leaders about A&S’ draft Academic Strategic Plan (ASP), innovations in research and scholarship, and the Office of Student Success’ new CareerReady program.

Presentations were offered by:

• A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi, who gave an update and led a discussion on the ASP;
• Jennifer Ross, associate dean for creativity, scholarship and research, who provided an overview of how research is funded in the College;
• Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew, who offered an update on the state of Syracuse University;
• and Professor Sascha Scott, who gave a talk titled, "Writing and Teaching for Change."

Students were also integral to the day's activities, chatting with DAB members during a luncheon and engaging in a panel discussion about CareerReady. They shared how the program—which empowers students to achieve key professional readiness milestones through experiential learning opportunities, internships and other career-related activities—gives them an edge as they prepare for the workplace or graduate school.