Dear CLAS Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff,

As we approach the close of the spring semester, I remain in awe of the extraordinary accomplishments across our graduate community. The weeks ahead offer many well-earned moments to come together and celebrate all that you have achieved. Your contributions have made a lasting impact on Villanova and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and I hope you take pride in all you’ve accomplished this year! Kudos to you!

Even as we celebrate this moment, we are also looking ahead with excitement and welcoming a new cohort of students, including the recipients of our Unitas Presidential Fellowship. This award reflects our deep commitment to supporting exceptional graduate scholars. It is a true pleasure to announce our 2026 fellows, Krystal Archer (Clinical Mental Health Counseling), from Duke University, and Winnie Wang (Psychology), from Northwestern University. First-generation students with outstanding academic records, Krystal and Winnie exemplify the fellowship’s emphasis on leadership, academic excellence and a commitment to expanding opportunity in their communities.

My sincere thanks to the faculty and staff who served on the fellowship selection committee: Bethany Adams, Ida Marie Alcantara, Katie Haymaker, Peleg Kremer, Jaisy Joseph, Kevin Minbiole, Elizabeth Pantesco and Terence Yee. Your thoughtful and dedicated review of this talented applicant pool ensures that the spirit of Unitas continues to guide this important work.

As we celebrate present achievements and future promise, I’m reminded of the power of connection in shaping the graduate experience. Last month’s Graduate Preview Day was a wonderful example of that spirit in action. We welcomed 142 prospective students and their guests to campus, 81 percent of whom had already planned to enroll prior to the event. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success and for so warmly showcasing the strength of our programs and community.

Looking ahead to another meaningful occasion, I am excited for the upcoming CONCEPT recognition ceremony on Friday, April 24, at 2:30 p.m. in Driscoll Atrium. I hope you’ll join me in highlighting the outstanding work of our student researchers, editors and peer reviewers.

Thank you for all you do to make this engaged and inspiring graduate community, especially during this exciting—and busy—time of year.

Warm regards,

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

Gabrielle Piccirilli '25, '26 MA Wins Graduate Research Prize

Writing is often a solitary and very personal experience that can be shaped by memory, emotion and life events. But as Gabrielle Piccirilli’s research reveals, what begins in private reflection rarely stays there once a work is published, inviting readers along for the journey. Her paper, “‘An Author’s Voice and the ‘Wounds That Speak’: Creative Writing as Emotional Processing and Public Communication,” appears in the 49th edition of CONCEPT. READ MORE.

A Full Circle Moment: Terry Guerin '81 MA Returns to Villanova Theatre as Director

Forty-five years after earning her master’s degree in Theatre from Villanova University, Terry Guerin '81 MA, a long-time theatre educator and director of more than 100 productions, is back where she discovered a passion for the stage. She returns to Villanova to direct Urinetown, a dystopian satire, reconnecting with the program that helped shape her career. See the play until April 26 in the Mullen Center. READ MORE.

From Chemist to Code: One Student's Critical Pivot

When Emily Lugos ’27 MS applied to Villanova University, she had a passion for studying something different from her undergraduate degree, eager to test herself in a unique way and in an unfamiliar discipline. She found that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and its distinguished faculty were up to that challenge. Now, she applies her chemistry mindset to cutting-edge computer science research on misinformation and data analysis. 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.

Grants and Fellowships to Support Master’s Research
If you're a master's student interested in securing research funding, join the Center for Research and Fellowship (CRF) for this virtual webinar to learn all about how grants and fellowships can help support your research and your graduate career. The event, on Friday, April 17, from Noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom, is open to current Villanova master's students and current undergraduate students interested in pursuing research at the master's level.

“Principles and Priorities:” An Interactive Exercise in Federal Budgeting
The nation has a fundamental fiscal challenge—what is the best way to decrease the federal budget deficit? Students, faculty and staff are invited to tackle this question as if they were members of Congress in an interactive and collaborative exercise known as the Concord Coalition’s “Principles and Priorities.” In this two-hour, in-person event, participants will break into small groups for discussion and deliberation—making the hard decisions and the compromises—on Tuesday, April 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Curley Exchange in Bartley. Theodore Arapis, PhD, chair of the Department of Public Administration with expertise in nonprofit and government financial management, will facilitate the exercise along with Phil Smith, National Field Director, Concord Coalition. All Villanova community members are encouraged to attend. Pizza and refreshments will be provided. Register here.

Level Up HR Conference
All graduate students are invited to attend any or all portions of the annual Level Up HR Conference for free. The theme is "The Future of Work and how AI is reshaping the workplace for everyone." Speakers include chief HR AI leaders, AI entrepreneurs, workforce strategists and faculty experts actively shaping how organizations use agentic AI, creativity, human skills, and people analytics in the workplace. The event is Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 (virtual); and Friday April 24 (in person at the Inn at Villanova University). Learn more and register on the event website. To register for free, please select “HRD Guest” as the attendee type.

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 FY27 Conference Travel Award application is now available. Any CLAS graduate student traveling after May 15, 2026, must submit a FY27 application. As a reminder, students are eligible for only one travel grant per fiscal year (June 1 to May 31) based on the date of the conference and not the notification of the award. 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.