Message from the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters

With a dynamic interdisciplinary faculty, a growing portfolio of innovative research and creative activity, and its strategic location in one of the great urban centers of the world, the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens Institute of Technology is poised to be a premier organization working at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

It was this potential that inspired me to join Stevens as the dean of the College, and I am honored to work with this outstanding faculty, staff, and student body.

Our world is complex and transforming rapidly. A 21st-century education must teach students to navigate this complexity in order to be prepared for the grand challenges and opportunities of our era. The skills and cognitive capacities provided by a liberal education are well known, including critical thinking, creativity, ethics, cultural literacy and communication skills. To be resilient and successful, however, students will also need computational skills, data literacies, and the capacity for systems-oriented thinking.

In the next 20 years, new professions and jobs will appear that we cannot yet imagine, but which will require strong technological expertise along with broader skills. In his book “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Joseph Aoun writes, “Fifty years ago, no one could have imagined that user-experience designer would be a legitimate profession, but here we are. Clearly, work is changing ... college should shape students into professionals but also creators.” The College’s mission is to provide an interdisciplinary education that prepares students to be professionals and creators.

That's why the College offers a range of degree programs encompassing the arts, humanities and social sciences. Our students examine the social impacts of new technologies. They learn how to use software and hardware to explore creativity and artistry. With our philosophy of “Computing Across the Curriculum,” students also learn core skills including software programming, data analytics, and data visualization.

Employers increasingly demand graduates who combine these technical skills with the ability to think critically, creatively and compassionately. In fact, 96 percent of our class of 2018 secured outcomes within six months of graduation. Therefore, I invite you to learn more about our exciting degree programs and to read our strategic plan, which outlines how the College will continue to grow and evolve into a leading institution for education, research, and creativity.

Sincerely, 

Kelland Thomas
Dean, The College of Arts & Letters