Within the University of Redlands’ College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), over 35 departments braved winds of up to 28 mph to inform students about academic opportunities during the Oct. 18 CAS Majors & Minors Fair.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., students met with department representatives and inquired about CAS programs on the North Quad. Religious Studies, History, Chemistry, Art and Communications Disorders were just a few of the various departments in attendance.
Dr. Heather King (left) and Tiffany Elias ‘26 (right) represent the English Department during the Oct. 18 CAS Majors & Minors Fair. King is a Professor of English and the Chair of the English Department, while Elias is a junior majoring in English Literature and Liberal Studies. 
Members of the Art Department run this table during the Oct. 18 CAS Majors & Minors Fair. From left to right: Department Coordinator Madi Spitzer, Art Professor and Department Chair Munro Galloway and Art Major Malia Miguel ‘25.
Along with informational pamphlets, several tables featured activities and other decorative items. Students tested their brains with the “Mastermind” board game at the Mathematics table, while the History department displayed books authored by Redlands professors. Candies also adorned many tables, supplementing popcorn to provide students with ample brain food as they explored CAS programs. Meandering through the tables was Nathaniel Cline, the CAS associate dean, with a QR code for a gift card raffle.
A few of the exciting academic pathways featured at this fair were Media and Communications (MECM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Both of these programs are new to Redlands’s CAS this year, and were described in greater detail by their faculty representatives.
Ross Conkey, the MECM visiting lecturer, explained how MECM built off of the former Media and Visual Culture Studies program by incorporating branches like journalism and filmmaking. He also said they are developing a TV concentration for the spring.
John Glover (left) and Bill Southworth (right) run the history, GIS and international relationships table during the Oct. 18 CAS Majors & Minors Fair. Glover is a history professor and chair of International Relationships and the GIS Bachelor of Arts, while Southworth is a speech professor in the history department. 
MECM major Mikel Ennis ‘26 (left) and MECM Visiting Lecturer Ross Conkey (right) run the MECM table during the Oct. 18 CAS Majors & Minors Fair. MECM is an expansion of the previous Media & Visual Culture Studies program and is new to Redlands this year.
Both Conkey and Glover highlighted how MECM and GIS pair well with other subjects.
“We have a lot of cross-listed stuff with art, history, art history. There’s lots of things that sort of coalesce into this,” Conkey said. “Generally, people who do media are also minoring in something else.”
Glover added that the GIS Bachelor of Arts is particularly conducive with double-majors, as it consists of only eight classes. And although GIS has a STEAM focus, Glover pointed out how it can be applied extensively.
“One of our biggest contingents of students now are business students,” Glover said. “If you want to open up Starbucks in a town, you’ll want to know what the income of that neighborhood is, how far away people live from that site. Do you have any competition from other coffee shops nearby? We can map all of them.”
This interdisciplinary nature isn’t limited to just MECM and GIS, though, as Cline said it is a hallmark of the university’s programs. In fact, Cline said he has even seen a student graduate with three majors and added that many pursue several minors.
“Of all the places I’ve been, double majoring here is more common,” Cline said. “Our students seem to be interested in a diverse range of subjects, and they pair those in really interesting ways.”
Just as MECM and GIS exhibited the compatibility of programs, they offered a small glimpse into the depth of information provided by each program during this fair.
Along with academic programs, there was a table with information about Study Abroad. This organization offers a multitude of programs and locations to choose from, and Global Advisor Melissa Modesitt shared some key tips. Since Salzburg covers the most Liberal Arts Inquiry requirements amongst study abroad programs, she said this location is recommended for sophomores. The other locations are mainly for juniors, as they are more tailored to majors/minors. Modesitt also said trips are planned a year in advance, with Dec. 1 as the deadline, making it even more important for students to determine majors/minors.
With the multitude of options, committing to a major or minor can be difficult. Even though students don’t have to declare a major until the start of their junior year, it’s best to get started early. This, Cline said, is the main goal of this Majors & Minors Fair.
“What I hope [students] come away with is the sense that there are a ton of options that are exciting and interesting and lead to excellent career paths for them to choose from.”
Photos by McKenzie Rose
McKenzie Rose is a freshman at Redlands with interests in Environmental Studies and Journalism. She worked for the last three years as a freelance journalist with the Hermiston Herald, a newspaper near her hometown of Echo, Oregon. She is looking forward to covering the interesting, the exciting, and the intriguing happenings at the university for the Redlands Bulldog!
