Last December, Missouri State University announced the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters (RCOAL) and the College of Humanities and Public Affairs (CHPA) would combine to create a new college – the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH).
This was the first major announcement that came out of our academic realignment efforts.
The leaders and administrators
Dean Dr. Shawn Wahl will lead the college. Drs. Jake Simmons and Jason Jolley will be associate deans. The department heads and school directors will continue their roles as part of the administrative team for the college.
- The School of the Arts: Vonda Yarberry (art and design), Dr. Paula Patterson (music) and Dr. Chris Herr (theatre and dance).
- The School of Communication: Dr. Deb Larson (communication, media, journalism and film) and Dr. Linda Moser (English).
- The School of Humanities and Social Sciences: Dr. Kathleen Kennedy (history), Dr. Steve Berkwitz (languages, cultures and religions), Dr. Chris Lynch (political science and philosophy) and Dr. Mary Willis (sociology, anthropology and gerontology).
- The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice: Dr. Brett Garland will serve as director.
- The School of Defense and Strategic Studies: Dr. John Rose will serve as director and the department of military science is under the leadership of Col. Michael Lengel.
New college built on legacy: RCASH
The Reynolds College will be organized into five schools that house nine departments. The schools and departments include:
- School of the Arts
- Art and design
- Music
- Theatre and dance
- School of Communication
- Communication, media, journalism and film
- English
- School of Social Sciences and Humanities
- History
- Languages, cultures and religions
- Political science and philosophy
- Sociology, anthropology and gerontology
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- School of Defense and Strategic Studies
Changes for RCASH include:
- In addition to the existing School of Communication, adding the naming of four schools.
- Economics will move into finance and risk management in the College of Business.
- Gerontology will move from psychology to sociology and anthropology.
- World languages and cultures will combine with religious studies to form the department of languages, cultures and religions.
- Military science and ROTC will be housed in RCASH under the School of Defense and Strategic Studies with a direct reporting line to Dean Wahl.
Destination campus
RCASH students study and perform in state-of-the-art facilities that shape our destination campus, including the John Goodman Amphitheatre, Coger Theatre, Strong Hall and C Minor Recital Hall. As a part of a public affairs institution, the college continues to invest in dynamic facilities and renovations to strengthen student and community connections and experiences in the arts, social sciences and humanities.
Dreaming bigger together
At a time when many universities are cutting arts, social sciences and humanities programs, Missouri State is taking a different approach. The new Reynolds College vision is driven by the inspiration of Judith Enyeart Reynolds whose legacy empowers us to “dream bigger.” The Reynolds Scholarship program will continue as another way that RCASH impacts students with life-changing financial support.
Protect and invest
The university will continue to protect and invest in all academic programs across the new college. For instance, we’re exploring digital humanities labs and other instructional and facility innovations. RCASH will continue to invest in interdisciplinary undergraduate programs, too.
RCASH will also continue to support award-winning programs, including the Spicer Debate Forum, the Mock Trial team and the top screen writing program in the nation as designated by the Broadcast Educators Association in 2022 and 2023.
Besides that, RCASH will continue to elevate the profile and global reach of our three accredited arts programs. In fact, in a few short weeks, Gail and I will join Dean Wahl, donors and alumni on the MSU Chorale Studies international performance tour of France, which includes the Normandy Choral Festival and a performance at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.
Updates from the May 18 Board of Governors meeting
The Board of Governors endorsed several financial proposals at its last meeting. They’re very supportive of improving compensation for our faculty and staff and approved:
- A 5% across the board raise that will take effect July 1.
- A $1,500 retention bonus for employees who are working for the university by July 1 and are still employed on Dec. 1.
John Jasinski and Zora Mulligan provided updates on the academic and enrollment/advising realignment plans. The board fully endorsed both plans.
Finally, the board approved a new learning management system. We’ll extend our contract with Blackboard for one more year. That will give us time to transition to Brightspace as our new system. Brightspace is a significant upgrade, and we believe it will improve communication between students and faculty, as well as student success.
I’m excited about what’s to come in the next chapter of our university as we continue work on our transformation plan.
Thank you for all you do for Missouri State.
Clif Smart