There are more than a few reasons why our work is important to the community.

By Cynthia Ryan

To the passerby cruising through the Illinois farming community where I was raised, one field might appear indistinguishable from every other. Those of us with roots in the region, though, know each plot of land by the family who’s owned and worked the ground, over time passing it down from one generation to the next.

It’s tempting to reduce a place to its physical features, whether acres of soil, a span of city blocks, structures rising from bricks and mortar. But places are ultimately about people. Cynthia Ryan

Inside the pages of this issue of Arts & Sciences magazine, you’ve been introduced to faculty, students, alums, and partners from around the globe who have made strides that set them apart. While we academics are often referred to by conventional disciplinary labels—biologist, historian, anthropologist, or in my case, rhetorician—there’s a world of difference in how our work plays out within and beyond the classroom, lab, and studio.

There’s Communication Studies alum Laura Britt whose training in broadcast journalism led her to pursue an unexpected path for which she was duly prepared. After interning at television stations in Birmingham and New York and then finding work as a sports reporter for a network in Mississippi, Britt landed her current position as an “update reporter” for 120 Sports, an online site offering Britt plenty of on-air time in an innovative media environment. Her story is inspiring to other students who wonder where they’ll land after graduation, proving that there are unimaginable opportunities for finding the perfect career fit. And alums Joy O’Ne/cas/newsal, from History, and Lee Price, from Criminal Justice, carved out spaces that might surprise many. O’Neal and her family turned a passion for horses into a program for assisting children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. Realizing that her preparation in history taught her much, but not everything she needed for running The Red Barn, O’Neal returned to CAS for an M.P.A. to fulfill her growing dreams.

Price’s career path took her all the way to the top in the armed forces, where she achieved the position of Major General in the U.S. Army. Her passion for exploring the world while serving her country was jumpstarted at UAB, when her coursework in German led her to apply for a scholarship that funded six weeks of study in Austria. Immersion in another culture showed Price that the possibilities that awaited her were greater than she’d ever imagined.

Four department chairs who recently joined The College of Arts and Sciences share the energy that they’ve experienced since coming to UAB. Their conversation with Julie Keith highlights some of the reasons why those who have moved here from other institutions see UAB as an exciting place where much has been accomplished and much lies ahead. Rounding out this issue is a story about globalization in The College. The sheer number of international destinations touched by our faculty, students and alums speaks once again to the diversity of our efforts. From India to Antarctica to France to Egypt, we’re intent on forging our own paths and ensuring that every endeavor is one of a kind. Like farm families whose histories are embedded in rich, Midwestern soil, we in The College of Arts and Sciences are committed to contributing something extraordinary that will leave a lasting impression at UAB and wherever else our passions lead us. Next time you’re in our neighborhood, we hope you’ll slow down, lower your window, and get to know us a little bit better.