October 14, 2020
Dear Arts & Letters Community:
Faculty and Staff from across the College are busy planning for this semester’s professional pathways program: Connect the Dots Virtually takes place November 6. Twenty alumni will be participating in ten different sessions throughout the day focused on how they connect what we do in our academic pursuits with what they do now. We have asked our alumni participants to specifically respond to the question “What does professional success and sustainability look like during a pandemic?”
When I discussed this event with members of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council at our kickoff meeting earlier this month, they were excited to hear that there would be opportunities to meet both alumni from their own programs and other students who they may not know from their classes. They expressed appreciation for having an interdepartmental event. They also noted that students are missing the unplanned and informal interactions that can happen as they crisscross a campus, take breaks in the library, or stand in line at the Golden Eagle Food Court. During this period of remote teaching and learning, we are continually striving to find ways to facilitate student-student and student-faculty interaction. Student Clubs are an important part of this interaction; if you’re not already a member of your department’s student club, please consider joining!
Although we will continue to learn and teach remotely through the Spring 2021 semester, when people are able to return to campus they will notice something new: public sculpture! The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has loaned three works of outdoor sculpture to Cal State LA for a period of ten years. You can read about the loan program and the three works on the college’s new public art website. Once landscaping is completed around the base of each piece, we will be creating and posting a video tour of the works. The sculptures will provide teaching and learning opportunities for the next decade. We look forward to being able to invite both the campus and surrounding communities to enjoy these works when it is safe to do so.
Finally, a reminder: VOTE! If you are a registered voter in California, you should be receiving a mail-in ballot. Please remember to fill it out and return it to a drop-off location or via regular mail (it is recommended to mail a ballot at least one week prior to election day). If you’re eligible but not registered, the last day for online voter registration is October 19. The California Secretary of State voter registration website is here.
Stay well!
Linda Essig
Dr. Linda Essig, Dean
Photo: Mark Lere, Tornado, 1991 in the Music Courtyard.