A Message from the Dean: August 2023

Dear CASL Colleagues,

I am delighted to write this message as it marks the beginning of my journey as your dean.  Over the past four weeks, I have had the privilege of joining UM-Dearborn with my husband, Kamil, leaving behind the first fulfilling chapter of my career at Illinois State University as we settle here in Dearborn.

During this brief time, I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you through our meet-and-greet sessions, department tours, and engaging discussions with faculty, staff, and students. Your warm welcomes and eagerness to help me settle in have made me feel truly at home, and I will always cherish these first impressions.

As I embark on this new journey at UM-Dearborn, I am filled with excitement to work with you, our colleagues on campus, and our community partners, to further enhance the pathways to success for our students, nurturing their growth, development, and thirst for life-long learning.   My own background as a first-generation college student and immigrant, having started learning the English language as a teenager upon arriving in Canada, serves as a powerful motivation in this endeavor. These personal experiences have instilled in me a profound determination to make a positive impact and empower others on their educational journey.

I look forward to working with you as we continue to ensure that our academic and experiential learning offerings and support systems align with our students’ intellectual and professional needs -- whether they come to us as high-school graduates, community college transfers, or alumni seeking to further grow and fulfill their evolving professional and intellectual desires so they may live their best lives.

As a curious individual, I am equally eager to further expand the creative and intellectual side of CASL to continue to set us apart as a college dedicated to excellence in education and innovation in the liberal arts while further invigorating UM-Dearborn’s distinction in the STEM fields.  Together, we will continue reinforcing a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful working and learning environment for all faculty, students, and staff – an engaged and vibrant culture underpins our success.  

My journey of learning about CASL, UM-Dearborn, and our community has just begun. Over the next year, we will work together creating our precise path forward and charting the next chapter in CASL’s history.   I am confident we will achieve great success! 

Warm regards,

Dagmar Budikova, Dean