A Message from the Dean: May 2022

Martin Hershock

Dear CASL Colleagues,

We made it! Another academic year is behind us and some well-earned rest and relaxation awaits! The 2021-2022 academic year was, like its predecessor, a particularly challenging one for students, faculty, and staff alike. I would be remiss if I did not open this newsletter with a sincere thank you to you all for your hard work, effort, and persistence. Collectively, we accomplished a great deal over the course of the last year. But I know that it has also been a draining year and that, for many of us, making it to the end of the Winter term was all that we could do. Take a moment and pat yourself on the back for doing so.

 As you put the term behind and begin to look for ways to recharge, I wanted to encourage each and every one of you to remember the importance of awe in recentering yourself and in regaining a sense of well-being. Unlike other resources such as time and money, awe is limitless and boundless. It is something that, if we take the time to look and a moment to consider, we can find all around us. The touch of a child’s hand, the intricate details of a flower, the melodic song of a bird, a soft breeze, the texture of a cloud, the emotions sparked by a well-crafted line of prose or a stirring piece of music, the warm flood of feeling triggered by a loved one’s smile or a vivid memory.

As Psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt remind us, experiences of awe may be "fleeting and rare,” but nevertheless they can "change the course of a life in profound and permanent ways.” I have certainly found this to be true in my life and can attest to the power of awe in helping me through many troubling and confounding situations.

So as you head off into the summer, please take time on a daily basis to appreciate and revel in the awe that surrounds us all. I wish for you all a happy and healthy summer!

Martin Hershock, Dean