University of Richmond senior develops an interest in optometry during internship
An internship at a nonprofit clinic shifts senior’s career focus to optometry, while affirming his commitment to volunteering.
School of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Annual Report
Family Weekend: Explore the Arts & Sciences
A Passport Adventure on Family Weekend
Saturday, Sept. 26 | 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Boatwright Memorial Library, 8:15 Cafe
Ready to travel the world of Arts & Sciences? Join Dean Jennifer Cavenaugh and Associate Deans of the School of Arts & Sciences for an interactive journey through our 23 academic departments and 15 interdisciplinary programs.
Pick up your A&S Passport and set off on an expedition to discover the remarkable opportunities available to students — from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences, arts, and emerging interdisciplinary fields. Along the way, you’ll meet academic leaders, learn about innovative programs, research opportunities, study abroad experiences, internships, and more.
Collect stamps as you explore different destinations throughout the School of Arts and Sciences and see how students chart their own unique academic journeys at Richmond.
Whether your student is just beginning to explore possibilities or already has a clear path in mind, this fun and engaging session offers a chance to discover the many routes to intellectual adventure in Arts & Sciences.
All are welcome! Passport in hand! Curiosity required!
Faculty & Staff Research Symposium
Friday, Sept. 18 | 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Faculty Hub + Boatwright Memorial Library
The Faculty & Staff Research Symposium brings together colleagues from multiple disciplines and programs across all five schools to present their research, work, and creative projects. All faculty and staff are invited to present their current work as part of interdisciplinary panels, roundtables, short-format sessions, or poster presentations.
A&S Feature Stories
University of Richmond Welcomes Class of 2030 Following Record-Breaking Application Year
Incoming class brings wide-ranging talents and experiences to campus as University begins new academic year.
UR Now: RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The Odyssey gives University of Richmond faculty new questions about an old classic
Christopher Nolan’s 21st-century spin on the ancient Greek poem offers new discussion points for Spider classrooms. Professors explain their takes.
Murder most foul: University of Richmond professor and students research a kidnapping-turned-murder
Two sophomores help their professor research the case of a boy’s kidnapping and murder in 1907 New Orleans.
2026-2027 Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature & the Arts
Culture Unbound
Hosted by the Department of Theatre & Dance
A theatre is just an empty space — until we fill it. In the light of our imaginations it becomes a place; in the rhythm of our expressions it becomes a moment. A time to witness, to engage with ideas, to feel alive, to experience culture in community.
Culture Unbound, the 2026–2027 Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Theatre, calls for an expansive understanding of culture as something not only inherited, but actively made, contested, and transformed through artistic practice, public dialogue, and collective imagination.
To be unbound is to orient toward horizons, to recognize culture as future-seeking, relational, and always evolving. Culture Unbound is a celebration of the many voices, histories, and practices that shape our lives. It is also a call to courage — to imagine boldly, to ask difficult questions, and to take part in building a more just world and a liberated future together through art.
Photography: Emilio Madrid
A&S Faculty in the News
Emerging anti-immigration sentiment in Japan obscures a surprising history of strategic engagement with Islam
Religious studies professor Mimi Hanaoka authored this piece, originally published on The Conversation.
Emerging anti immigration sentiment in Japan obscures a surprising history of strategic engagement with Islam
Religious studies professor Mimi Hanaoka authored this piece.
The Anarchy: The Real Civil War That Inspired ‘House of the Dragon’
History professor David Routt, a medieval historian, is quoted.
America Is Finally Taking Extraterrestrials Seriously
Physics professor Jack Singal, an astrophysicist, is quoted.
Events
Faculty Expertise
Do you envision college as a place where your professor’s office hours are spent in deep conversation about topics beyond this week’s assignment? Where you can work side-by-side with a faculty member on cutting-edge research that is published in a professional journal?
In A&S, our faculty are experts on the cutting edge of their fields. While they could work in some of the top research institutions in the world, our faculty chose Richmond because they believe in educating tomorrow's leaders and are passionate about mentoring and sharing their knowledge with students.
A&S Faculty Highlights
James and students publish on food insecurity and mental health among high school students
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, along with Jada Pederson, ’27, Huong Doan, ’27, Liam Hayes, ’28, and Leah Suggs, ’27, published “Food Insecurity and Mental Health Among High School Students: Evidence from National and Virginia Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data” in the Journal of School Health.
Pettis presents at International Communication Association conference
Ben Pettis, assistant professor of rhetoric and communication studies, presented "Standardizing and Optimizing Education: Constructing the Neoliberal User in Learning Management Systems" at the 76th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference.
James and students publish on barriers to mammography screening
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, along with Julia Messerman, ’28, and Callia Nickels, ’27, published “‘It’s Not Just Cost’: Barriers to Mammography Screening Access Among Low-income Women in the United States –– A Scoping Review” in the Journal of Cancer Prevention.
Wu and students publish on how DNA damaged by UV exposure serves as a roadblock to DNA replication
Eugene Wu, associate professor of biology and biochemistry, along with Amanda Walsh, ’15, and Hye Rhee Kim, ’28, published "A thymine dimer stalls a high-fidelity DNA polymerase by provide no template information in the same manner as an abasic site" in Biochemistry.
