Dean Main Site

Jun 26, 2013

The Dean’s Blog: The Heart of the Matter

Dean Jeff Braden was on hand in Washington, DC, for the release of "The Heart of the Matter," a bipartisan report on the state of the humanities and social sciences, and their central role in ensuring a vibrant, secure, and prosperous America.

Mar 25, 2013

Dean for a Day 2013 Diaries

On Friday, March 15, CHASS hosted the college’s annual Dean for a Day event. This year, Dean Jeff Braden switched places with Andriy Shymonyak, a Park Scholar double major in History and Political Science.

Feb 5, 2013

Dean for a Day will be a Freaky Friday

Remember Freaky Friday, the movie where two people switch bodies--and lives--for 24 hours? On Friday, March 15, CHASS will host the college’s own role-swapping Friday: the annual Dean for a Day event. This year, Dean Jeff Braden will switch places with Andriy Shymonyak, a Park Scholar double major in History and Political Science.

Sep 26, 2012

Citizen Science in the Amazonian Rain Forest

CHASS Dean Jeff Braden recently accompanied Meg Lowman, Director of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center, on a trip to the Amazon rain forest for citizen scientists. Here he reflects on the experience,in particular the perspectives through which the humanities and the sciences view this environmental marvel.

Jun 28, 2012

The Dean’s Reflections: The Importance (and Limitations) of Speaking English

CHASS Dean Jeff Braden recently returned from China, where he represented the university at Nanjing Normal University to explore how the two universities might collaborate in areas ranging from study abroad programs to student and faculty exchanges to potential collaborative research and degree programs. In this column, the dean shares his frustration with his own inability to communicate well with non-English speakers and renews his commitment to help students and others acquire language skills "to more directly interact with a world that increasingly feels like a global village."

Nov 16, 2011

Dean Braden in Scientific American

CHASS Dean and Professor of Psychology Jeff Braden was called upon for his expertise in human nature for a column in Scientific American  about the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal. In a guest post written by Piedmont Laureate Scott Huler, Braden and other psychologists weigh in about why people hesitate to intervene when confronted…

Jun 23, 2011

The Dean’s Corner: Arab Spring

Arab Spring: What’s CHASS got to do with it? The spring of 2011 will be remembered for protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, for the departure of Tunisian President Ben Ali, and for events still in the making as I write this column. As the world watches the protests, civil war, and uprisings, scholars in the…