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The 2025-26 academic year begins on Aug. 26, and students will have new programs to choose from, new sights to see and new leadership to learn from as the year gets underway.

Academic Additions

���ϲ����� will launch two new majors this fall, including neuroscience, housed in ���ϲ����� College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and digital content management through the School of Communications.

The neuroscience program will offer three options: a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Science with a specialization in exercise neuroscience. The digital content management program will help equip students with the creative, strategic and technical skills to lead content creation and strategy across digital platforms.

Campus Refresh

Several construction projects have been underway in summer 2025, including the completion and opening of Acorn Academy, a partnership with Vivvi to provide employer-sponsored child care. The child care facility is housed in the north wing of the psychology and human services studies building, which was originally used for ���ϲ����� Children’s Home.

A new 485-space parking lot for first-year students is also under construction east of the Francis Center. Although the lot will not be completed in time for the start of the fall 2025 semester, it is anticipated to be finished in the 2025-26 academic year.

Other construction projects include renovations to Holland House, a 4,000-square-foot brick building that once served as the official residence of two ���ϲ����� presidents. The building has been updated to accommodate an expanded golf clubhouse, featuring coaches’ offices, locker rooms, and a gathering space for athletes. Work is expected to be complete in fall 2025.

Work has also begun on the HealthEU Center, a 135,000-square-foot facility that will combine academics with recreation, health and wellness offerings along with support for the well-being of members of the university community. The building is expected to open in fall 2026.

The Homecoming concert returns!

The Office of Alumni Engagement and the Student Union Board have collaborated to bring back the Homecoming concert! This year, on Friday, Oct. 10, Plain White T’s will perform at Rock the Block on Haggard Avenue and Young Commons.

The last Homecoming Concert was hosted three years ago by the Student Union Board in 2022, when Tai Verdes performed.

New Leadership

Haya Ajjan, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business

Haya Ajjan will begin her first full semester as dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Ajjan previously served as associate dean and professor of management information systems for the Love School of Business and began her new role on June 1, 2025, with an eye toward deepening experiential learning opportunities for students and strengthening partnerships with employers, industry leaders, and the broader community.

“���ϲ����� has nurtured my growth, transforming me from an acorn into a thriving oak,” Ajjan said. “I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to give back to an institution that has given me so much by working under the leadership of President Book and Provost Kohn.”

Brian Mathews, dean and university librarian

Brian Mathews began his leadership of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library on August 1, 2025, where he now manages a team of 22 full-time employees who have greeted more than a quarter million visitors over the past year in the heart of ���ϲ�����’s main campus. With a record of achievement that spans two decades and five prominent national universities, Mathews brings to ���ϲ����� professional interests in the way people engage with information: in his words, their “personal knowledge management.”

“I look forward to helping shape a library that’s grounded, strategic, and future-facing – one that supports human-centered innovation, sparks imagination, and invites students, faculty, and staff to work together in exploring the complex social, political, technological, and informational challenges of our time,” Mathews said. “I’m especially looking forward to working with the librarians and staff at Belk Library. They’re filled with ideas, generosity, and a joyful energy that’s contagious.”

Whitney Gregory, dean of students

Previously the assistant dean of students at ���ϲ�����, Whitney Gregory brings two decades of student affairs experience to her new Student Life leadership role, which began on June 1, 2025. As dean of students, Gregory will provide strategic leadership for student success and welfare initiatives, including supervising the directors of the Student Care and Outreach and Student Conduct departments, the assistant dean of student success and retention, and the assistant dean of students.

“I am honored and thrilled to step into this new role as dean of students at ���ϲ�����, a community I’ve been proud to call home,” said Gregory. “I’m excited to continue advancing the work I love – supporting student wellbeing and success – and am deeply grateful for this opportunity to serve as a leader and advocate for student interests and empowerment.”

Heather Packo, associate vice president for the Student Professional Development Center

Heather Packo joined ���ϲ����� in June 2025 as the new associate vice president of the Student Professional Development Center. She previously served as head of the Career Management Center at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

At ���ϲ�����, Packo will lead a team of 22 full-time career professionals who comprise one of the nation’s best comprehensive career services programs, with a top-20 ranking by The Princeton Review and a #20 ranking for internships by U.S. News & World Report.

She will oversee the continued design and implementation of a comprehensive career services strategy through the Student Professional Development Center that enhances student employability, fosters employer relationships and integrates career readiness into the university experience.

“���ϲ�����’s commitment to cultivating a career ecosystem in support of both student and alumni career and professional development is both forward-thinking and impressive,” she said. “Throughout the recruitment process, this commitment was clearly articulated. In speaking with key stakeholders – from the SPDC team, campus partners, senior staff and academic deans, and the president – it was clear that everyone is ready to move the needle from good to great and work together to ensure ���ϲ����� students are career ready at graduation.”