A Message from Barbara Kutis, Dean of Arts & Letters

As I reflect on my first semester as Dean of the School of Arts and Letters, I am also confronted with the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on race-conscious admissions. Much of the work of Higher Education and our School has been—and will continue to be—to advance diversity of thought, and be inclusive of all backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives. These experiences enrich our learning environment and ultimately make us better citizens of our communities.

Our diverse voices and experiences are what make the undergraduate experience at IU Southeast valuable. If you happened by campus over the past semester, you might have seen that the Theater program produced a vibrant rendition of Lynn Nottage’s Sweat; or, perhaps you ventured into the Barr Gallery and saw the Fine Arts students’ BFA Thesis exhibitions which dealt with topics such as neurodivergence, retrofuturism, trauma, and the otherworldly, among other important issues.

I am so proud of all our students and alumni who are breaking barriers and advancing discourse in a range of topics and venues. I was heartened to see so many of our alumni return to take part of the 2023 COMM EXPO, as much as I am proud of the twenty-four (!) Arts and Letters students who received awards for their creative research at the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Showcase this spring. The music program’s non-traditional ensemble also gained high praise for their performance at the Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner, which is the annual fundraising event for our campus. As we look toward Fall 2023, you can expect to see more of our school in the community. We are currently planning our participation at Harvest Homecoming and IUS Fest in the Fall and hope to have more events to come. We are doing great things!

In the coming months, I will be working with faculty and staff on how to better connect with alumni and current students, and how to best promote the good things we are doing both on campus and off. So please stay tuned! If you have ideas or other thoughts to share, please reach out, and –don’t forget to send us your updates—we continue to support and celebrate you!