Question

Hello Deans!

I’m a second year doctoral student in engineering.

I’ve been keeping up with the Ask a Dean series and although I’m saddened by the vitriol of some of the questions recently, I just wanted to express my gratitude for the informative and patient responses. This unionization push has certainly gotten tense, and I appreciate your gracious presence in the midst of it. So, I had a question that seemed to be a bit more fun:

Who are you picking for your Final Four?

Thanks for all that you do!

Basketball-watching Graduate Student

Response

Dear Basketball-watching Graduate Student,

Thanks for your Ask a Dean question.

We appreciate your expression of gratitude for the responses you’ve read in recent Ask a Dean columns. We, too, sense some tension among our community members, and look forward to productive and positive post-election relationships, no matter the outcome of the election.

As for my pick for the Final Four, I’m going with Duke, Purdue, Princeton, and UCLA. You might wonder about my basis for this selection. I picked schools where I have close colleagues serving as graduate school deans, so that I’ll be able to celebrate with them when their schools win!

Enjoy the snow and stay warm,

Barb

Barbara A Knuth
Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School