GerShun Avilez is happy to be here. In November, the cultural studies scholar and university administrator moved from the University of Maryland to become CLA’s dean. “The CLA educates more of the workforce than any other college in the state,” Avilez says. Thus the deanship provides the opportunity to have an impact on Minnesota’s economy, he says. He’ll be focusing on educating students to be workforce-ready, which, beyond just training for a particular job, includes “what the liberal arts provide: a skill set that enables people to work and think for a lifetime.”