Division of Arts and Letters starts at CBU

Riverside, Calif. (July 30, 2020) – A new division has been created within the College of Arts and Sciences at California Baptist University.

The Division of Arts and Letters will consist of three departments: communication arts, history and government, and modern languages and literature. Approximately 630 students are pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate degree in those departments.

The college already has the Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the Department of Aviation Science.

“The College of Arts and Sciences is so big and so diverse,” said Dr. Lisa Hernández, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “I hope by creating the Division of Arts and Letters, this is something bigger that the students can identify with and get a bigger feel for the different disciplines within the new division.”

Hernández said she hopes the new division will lead to a cohesiveness and to collaboration among the faculty and students. One of the goals is to offer an Arts and Letters Symposium, similar to the annual Natural and Mathematical Sciences Research Symposium.

Dr. James Lu, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the goal is to expand the talents of the students in the humanities and social sciences.

“Our diverse programs all contribute to the healthy development of our students’ critical thinking ability. The faculty in this division serve as professional mentors to students,” Lu said. “We hope that by exploring the dynamic human experiences in society and at cultural and cross-cultural levels, our students will strengthen their spirituality and deepen their understanding of the real world, so as to thrive in their future professions and community services.”