Fontbonne’s College of Arts and Sciences has a new dean. Meet Dr. Adam Weyhaupt, an Illinois native passionate about math who began a lifelong love of academia during his undergraduate years at Eastern Illinois University. Married with two young sons, Weyhaupt is an avid hiker who rarely says no to his favorite sushi restaurants.
What brought you to Fontbonne?
I previously worked at a university that was much larger and continuing to grow. I found myself wanting to be in an environment with strong student connections. Also, the mission of Fontbonne really felt like a perfect fit. I consider myself to be social justice-focused — that’s the way my wife and I try to raise our sons — so Fontbonne felt like a great fit from the start.
What about Fontbonne made you stay?
Relationships are very important to people here. Everyone seems to realize that. Faculty get to build relationships with their students and their colleagues. This leads to healthy collaboration, strong support for everyone and a healthy campus overall. People are important to other people here.
As the dean, what do you do?
Every day I get to look at a wide range of challenges and opportunities. It’s never boring around here! In the morning I might explore issues with fine arts, then I can jump into a discussion with computer science, then I’m off to a meeting with biology. All of the collaboration helps me understand the needs of our students and faculty. How can we make sure that our students and faculty really engage each other? How can we support the faculty to provide amazing experiences with their students? I like being a part of the answers to those questions.
What do you bring to the College of Arts and Sciences?
I bring a vision of an outstanding liberal arts education for our students, with meaningful, high-impact learning happening both in their major and in general education courses. I’m excited to help bring the CAS faculty together and build our identity as a community of teachers and scholars. We aim for students to not just have a great career but also to be happy, well-rounded and engaged in their community.
What do you think people should know about Fontbonne?
You don’t have to go to a huge university to get an outstanding education. Don’t underestimate the opportunities that can happen when faculty know you and can develop relationships with you.
Learn more about Fontbonne’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Follow Dr. Weyhaupt on Twitter!
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