School of Arts and Sciences Hosts Meet and Greet with New Dean
By Alexander Santana
The Catholic University of America School of Arts and Sciences hosted a meet and greet with the recently appointed Dean Aaron Dominguez, Ph.D. Undergraduate and graduate students were able to meet and speak with Dean Dominguez as well as with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Kerstin Gaddy, Ph.D. Pizza and refreshments were served and all attendees introduced themselves and some spoke about their experiences at Catholic University so far. Several students asked questions about the Dean’s vision for the School of Arts and Sciences whether he was going to improve the core curriculum and distribution requirements.
“I think it was an excellent event” said Cavan Hagerty, freshman politics major. “Dean Dominguez is clearly genuinely interested in students’ thoughts and feelings regarding the betterment of the school of Arts and Sciences. I look forward to more of these events in the future.”
Dean Dominguez said at the event that he thought of himself as a freshman since he had just started working at Catholic University six months ago. He comes from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he served as Associate Dean for Research and Global Engagement and professor of physics and astronomy. He also talked about how at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln he led a team of researchers from the university as well as eight other universities to work on particle detectors at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland.
“I see Dean Dominguez being a great resource for us in the School of Arts and Sciences,” said freshman politics major Elise LaFleur. “I look forward to seeing what he will accomplish as the new Dean.”
Dean Dominguez stated that he wants to listen to the concerns and suggestions of students and also wants to create more research and experimental opportunities for those in physics and the other sciences. He also talked about how he looks forward to having more discussion on how he and professors can make the educational experiences of students better. He also talked about how Catholic University has the opportunity to combine the Catholic faith with the pursuit of knowledge and truth unlike other universities.
“For Dean Dominguez to hold an event for the School of Arts and Sciences was phenomenal,” said Andrew Elder, a junior in the politics department. “He made the event more personal by showing us who he is and what he plans to do. He allowed us to voice opinions and openly discussed issues we, as students, may be having.”
