Welcome to FSU and to the Division of Undergraduate Studies! As the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, I serve as the academic dean for
most freshmen and sophomores until they are admitted to an upper-division major. All of the various offices within the Division work
to assist students with their academic careers, ensuring that students develop sound academic preparation
for their major field of study.
Your first years in college are full of opportunities for intellectual exploration. Your work both in and outside of the classroom
should help to expand your horizons, introducing you to new ways of thinking about yourself and your world. At Florida State
University, we want to give you the information, the skills, and the habits of mind that will enable you to fulfill your promise as an
individual and as a member of the community. This is the aim of liberal education: to develop within each student the ability to view
problems from many different perspectives and to find creative and humane solutions. Florida State is proud of its Liberal Studies
tradition, recognizing the importance of engaging students with a broad range of knowledge and with ideas both new and old. The Liberal
Studies curriculum trains you to think logically, to analyze clearly, and to communicate with precision and power.
You have chosen to come to a major research institution, where faculty
members are world-class researchers, artists and scholars. I encourage you
to approach all of your course work with an open mind. Take the chance to
explore new fields of knowledge, rethink your own assumptions, and enjoy the
intellectual challenges you encounter. Doing so will enrich your life in
ways that may well surprise you.
Sincerely,
Karen L. Laughlin
Dean of Undergraduate Studies
