Dear CLAS Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff,

What’s your “Villanova moment?”

I’m thinking of a time when you first felt welcomed by our community. It could have been a conversation with a classmate, colleague or mentor; a class that sparked your curiosity; or a small act of kindness that reminded you that you belong here. It’s often something simple, a moment that might seem ordinary at the time, but stays with you because it reflects our community of care.

For many future Villanovans in Graduate Liberal Arts and Sciences, that moment could come this Saturday, March 28, during Preview Day. It’s our signature admissions event, one in which so many of our admitted students make the potentially life-changing decision to pursue advanced study right here in Grad CLAS. It’s one of my favorite events of the year because it’s just as important for us as it is for them. It’s our chance to convey what makes Villanova special and help future students imagine themselves here.

In fact, I bet many of our current students probably remember attending Preview Day themselves, meeting faculty in their program, talking with current students about life in graduate school and perhaps even encountering someone for the first time who would later become a classmate or a good friend to meet for coffee at one of our Holy Grounds locations around campus.

Preview Day occurs during the spring season, a time of renewal. And as we welcome potential new students, we’re also doubling down on our support for our current students as we approach the end of the semester. For example, our popular mentorship initiative that encourages grad faculty to take a grad student to lunch or coffee on us is back and from all accounts, everyone is loving it. It's that kind of personalization and connection that makes our community so strong.

And while we're talking about renewal, I'm happy to share that this very newsletter has moved over to a new email platform now used by many of our colleagues across the University. I hope you find it easy to read and navigate.

This year has undoubtedly been filled with “Villanova moments” for each of us and I’m proud to have shared so many of them with you. As the spring season continues, I’m grateful for the energy you bring to our academic and community spaces. It’s refreshing, and it’s a daily reminder of what makes Grad CLAS special.

Warm regards,

Emory H. Woodard IV, PhD
Dean of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Anastasiia Chulkova '26 MA Wins Villanova 3MT

A graduate student in the Theatre program at Villanova University, Anastasiia Chulkova '26 MA has worked as a theatre educator, teaching acting, improvisation, storytelling, movement and theatre history across Russia, China, Spain and the United States. But was her career choice unknowingly passed down to her? Perhaps. Her research studies the “embodied transmission of memory,” exploring how everyday actions can quietly pass down patterns across generations. READ MORE.

Villanova History Professor Details Path Toward Native American Citizenship in New Book

In Indigenous Citizens: Native Americans’ Fight for Sovereignty, 1776-2025, Professor of History and  Paul C. Rosier, PhD, director of the graduate program in History and the Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, seeks answers through the broad history of Native Americans’ dual citizenship and their centuries-long fight for civil rights. The book invites audiences to connect earlier Indigenous histories with modern Native struggles, informed heavily by America’s development into a global and economic superpower. READ MORE.

Philosophy for the People: One Student's Mission to Bring Academia to All Audiences 

Blake Perry ’26 PhD, who is pursuing his doctoral degree in Philosophy at Villanova and teaches Villanova undergraduates, is using YouTube to make complex philosophical topics more accessible to the public.Perry’s inspiration to create the channel began at a conference in April of last year. READ MORE.

Spring 2026 Graduate Student Survey
Graduate students are encouraged to complete the Spring 2026 Graduate Student Survey. This confidential survey gathers your input on key aspects of the graduate experience, including community engagement, housing, professional development and research opportunities. Your feedback is essential and will directly inform decisions that impact current and future graduate students. Please take a few minutes to share your perspective and help shape the future of graduate education at Villanova.

Lunch with Fr. Peter
Graduate students are invited to attend a special luncheon hosted by the Grad Center and Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, University President, on April 8 at 12 p.m. in the Presidents' Lounge on the second floor of the Connelly Center. Please register here only if you are able to attend. Space is limited.

English Department Celebrates 28th Annual Literary Festival
This spring marks the 28th year of the Villanova University Literary Festival, welcoming acclaimed poets and novelists to campus to present readings and meet with students. The final event, on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Falvey Speakers' Corner, features Álvaro Enrigue. Click here for more information.

Villanova Theatre Presents Urinetown
This Tony Award-winning satire delivers irreverent humor that takes aim at capitalism, social justice, environmental collapse and musical theater itself. Directed by Terry Guerin '81 MA, it opens April 16. Click here for tickets and information.  

Save the Date: Grad Garden Party
Graduate Student Senate and the Grad Center are hosting the annual Grad Garden Party at Picotte Hall at Dundale on Friday, April 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. Ticket information will soon be emailed to students.

CONCEPT Recognition Ceremony
Join us on Friday, April 24, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Driscoll Atrium as we celebrate the launch of the 2026 issue of CONCEPT, the interdisciplinary graduate journal of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The recognition ceremony will honor the recipient of the Graduate Research Prize for best paper and acknowledge all the student authors and editors, faculty editors and peer reviewers who made this year’s volume possible. The 2026 edition marks the 49th release of CONCEPT, which features scholarship from Villanova graduate students across the arts and sciences.

Treat Your Graduate Student to a Meal or Coffee
Graduate student mentorship is integral to academic success and personal development. Through strong mentorship relationships, students gain guidance, build professional networks and work toward their goals. The Office of Graduate Studies is continuing the very popular “Treat Your Graduate Student to a Meal or Coffee” initiative. Faculty can request $10 Villanova dining vouchers for themselves and their graduate students, redeemable at select campus dining locations. Faculty must join the student for the meal, coffee or dessert. All faculty and graduate students are eligible to participate. For more information and to register, click here. 

Conference Travel Support
The Office of Graduate Studies encourages graduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to apply for funding to attend conferences in which they will present research related to their graduate work. Students interested in receiving a conference travel award will compete an online form found here. On completion, the form will be sent to a faculty adviser, graduate program director and department chair for online sign-off. Once all parties have signed-off online, the form will be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies for final processing. Awards are limited! Students are encouraged to complete the form as soon as possible but no later than 30 days prior to the conference to ensure that the funding for their travel is approved prior to the conference.

Degree Works for Graduate Students
Students are encouraged to track and plan their academic progress towards degree completion with Degree Works, an online auditing tool for Villanovans that provides students with an academic roadmap that lays out their required courses, tracks their credits earned and updates their GPA status each semester. To access, search for Degree Works in MyNova. For more information, including tutorials and FAQs, please visit the Degree Works information page.