“We are redefining what liberal learning means,” said Nancy Gutierrez, dean of UNC Charlotte’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS). “We are preparing students to be tomorrow’s leaders and citizens, with a deep understanding of what justice and equity mean, so they can lead with that mindset.”

Gutierrez, one of UNC Charlotte’s most veteran academic leaders, is the driving force behind CLAS’s efforts to reinvent itself, not only for the present but the future. Fundamental to this evolution is a growth mindset; that is, an approach to the liberal arts and sciences that embraces interdisciplinary collaboration within the college and with units in other colleges. CLAS is notable in this regard, having incubated programs that spun off to the University’s other colleges.

“Departments work together on a variety of interdisciplinary programs, although to the outside world, we might appear as separate silos,” explained Gutierrez. “Important questions of the day cannot be answered by faculty within one department. For example, systemic racism must be addressed through public policy, psychology behavior, history, immigration, housing, health disparities and other areas. It is part of our DNA to collaborate; it is how we think.”

CLAS’s 21 academic departments — many that are foundational to the college’s 40-year history and the educational experience of all students — span the humanities; social and behavioral sciences; natural sciences and mathematics; and military sciences. Long-standing and newer departments collaborate to address the rapidly changing needs of society and the workforce:

Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies

The Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies Department, the first academic department of its kind in the Carolinas, brings together curriculum and resources in a novel way to prepare students to be analytical readers of digital and print texts, critical thinkers about information sources and engaged citizens capable of communicating effectively to diverse audiences in a variety of contexts.

School of Data Science

CLAS disciplines are essential to the School of Data Science, an active academic partner. Gutierrez noted, “Connecting society and technology, particularly the ethical use of data and technology, cannot occur without the faculty expertise and disciplines such as philosophy and applied ethics, sociology, anthropology, geography, criminal justice, Africana Studies, psychology, public policy and more.”

Gutierrez, who currently chairs the North Carolina Humanities Council board of trustees, joined the University in 2005 from Arizona State University. As dean, she has championed access to higher education for increasing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students and has hired faculty members committed to addressing the needs of the greater Charlotte community. Her influence in higher education extends nationally as former chair for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.

Through engaged scholarship, a CLAS hallmark, opportunities exist for the college’s faculty members to join forces with the community. They have partnered with more than 90 organizations in the greater Charlotte region — including The Electric Power Research Institute, the Gantt Center, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Advisory Council, the Atrium Health Systems, Clean Air Charlotte and International House — enabling CLAS to attract the best and  brightest junior faculty whose research aligns with community needs.

Gutierrez knows that fostering increased opportunities for underrepresented populations is vital for students as well as the institution.

“Highly qualified and exceptionally talented students from a breadth of social, economic and cultural strata hit their stride at UNC Charlotte,” she noted. “By embracing differences, the University is building an environment where quirkiness and risk-taking are celebrated. Students and faculty come here to grow as human beings, and by so doing, grow the institution.”

Faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are leaders in their disciplines, achieving accomplishments that bring them recognition locally, statewide and nationally. 

“CLAS is home to the University’s three Chancellor Professors, an honor reserved for UNC Charlotte faculty who have made outstanding contributions to their fields, and the University’s three recipients of the James E. Holshouser Award for Excellence in Public Service, awarded by the UNC System for ‘sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in public service and outreach and contributions to improve the quality of life of the citizens of North Carolina,’” said Gutierrez. In addition, close to 40 faculty members have received Fulbright Awards for international exchange and research.

In 2019, college faculty were awarded more than $11 million in external research funding, which makes CLAS the University’s second-largest college in this regard. “The same year, CLAS faculty members authored more than 2,000 journal articles, books and conference proceedings,” she added.

Encouraging CLAS to constantly evolve, Guitierrez believes in fostering students’ abilities to anticipate and adapt to an ever-changing world. “The goal is for students to graduate with a stronger sense of self and with firm confidence in their abilities to take risks and manage the unexpected.”