Thank you so much for your seven years of outstanding leadership. Your unfailing support for faculty, students, and the mission of Arts & Sciences has meant everything to us.  — Tim Moore

I would like to express my admiration for two among the many wonderful dimensions of your leadership. The first is your enthusiasm for new ideas and your eagerness to spend time thinking through new projects, especially when they might be able to bring together colleagues from different of our many nooks and crannies in A&S. I’ve been inspired (and aided) in my own efforts to concoct new international collaborations by your genuine, unflagging interest, trust, and support. Many of us have had similar joys in working with you. The second is your astounding capacity to maintain a high-level profile as a leader in science while devoting so much of your energy to creatively and modestly keeping our A&S house in order — and adding on new wings. Few of us would ever be able to keep these parallel energy currents going, but your example reminds us of how one might just do it. Thanks for all this.  — John R. Bowen

Thank you so much for being a phenomenal leader and role model! Your leadership has helped shape this university, and I am grateful that we had the chance to work with you!  — Gaby Szteinberg

It has been such a pleasure working with you over the last seven years. Your tenure as dean coincided roughly with my time as department chair. I could not have asked for a better “boss” (though in fact you were more of a mentor.) You handled all my questions, suggestions, and requests with equanimity and patience. You were decisive as well as fair.  And you treated all around you as colleagues.  The first time I met you in your office I was nervous, having not really had any opportunity before then to interact with you. But you greeted me so warmly. We talked about our mutual love of dogs! Your office was always inviting, despite your incredibly busy schedule, and I knew I could always turn to you for advice. Honestly, I don’t know how you managed to be such a receptive administrator, so hands on, and still maintain your distinguished standing in your field. You have made Arts & Sciences a better place. Congratulations to you on seven years of illustrious service as dean, and best wishes to you as you strike off down new paths.  — Rebecca Copeland

Thank you so much for your support of my laboratory and career, and for your leadership of Arts & Sciences over the years. It has meant a lot to me to have you as a role model.  — Rita Parai

Thank you, Dean Schaal, for your grace, vision, compassion and leadership over the past seven years. You served this university and the School of Arts & Sciences with such integrity, honesty, and strength of character, which will continue to inspire us for a long time to come. We wish you all the best in this next chapter. Thank you! — Megan Daschbach

Barbara has been an amazing mentor, dean, colleague, and friend. She was pivotal in my decision to come to WashU in 2015, and I have learned so much from her in the time that I’ve been here. Not only is she an exemplary dean, she is a top-quality scholar and an incredible person. I wish her the very best in any and all of her future endeavors, and appreciate the opportunity to have worked closely with her.  — Adia Harvey Wingfield

A Haiku for Barbara Schaal
wise humility
curiosity unbound
doctor Spock of deans
— Corinna Treitel

The entire campus owes you infinite thanks for your steady, conscientious, and compassionate leadership over the past several years, and especially these last few months. I was lucky to have had the privilege and pleasure of watching you manage one of your many responsibilities from a near vantage point and thus to see up close what outstanding leadership looks like. If only our last meeting could have been in person, Jane would have sent me bearing a tray of home-baked cookies in thanks for all the desserts I've brought home for her.  — Daniel Bornstein

I was honored to serve under Dean Barbara Schaal, whose leadership was exemplary.  — Bill Buhro

Many thanks for your intrepid leadership and your thoughtful and dedicated care of Arts & Sciences. Your hard work has been very much appreciated by all of us in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. While it has been a true honor to work with you during your entire tenure as dean, I have come to value in particular your calm, kind and sensible stewardship of the boat in the choppy waters of the last months. Your work for A&S has been nothing short of heroic, and I cannot express how much it has reassured and encouraged all of us. I wish you all the best in your post-deanship! Vielen Dank und alles Gute!  — Erin McGlothlin

It has been an enormous pleasure and privilege to work with you, Barbara Schaal. You have been an excellent and thoughtful listener, a source of valuable advice, and a wise and supportive leader of Arts & Sciences during both good and challenging moments. Thank you so much for all your service as Dean of the Faculty!  — Ron Mallon

Dean Barbara Schaal is my lighthouse who guided me to become a member of AAAS from January 2017, soon after I joined WashU. I enjoy being a member of AAAS since then. Thank you Dean Barbara Schaal for many things, especially for this.  — Yanbing Wang

Thank you so much for your many years of support for University College and the Summer School. From your foundational role in creating the MS in Biology for Teachers to your support of the Prison Education Program and the many ways U College served the greater community, I greatly appreciated your leadership, wisdom, and encouragement.  — Pat Matthews

From the day you stepped into your role as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, you have been a model of outstanding leadership. Your boundless energy and compassion, along with your firm commitment to transparency and consultation, have nurtured a climate of trust and inspired growth and innovation across Arts and Sciences. I am personally and profoundly grateful for your unwavering support for the Center for the Humanities, and for the fact that AFAS and WGSS now stand as full-fledged departments, alongside a brand new Sociology Department. Institutional change never comes easily. Thank you for all you made happen in seven short years. It has been a real privilege to work with you. Wishing you the very best as you open the door onto the next phase of your career!  — Jean Allman

I have worked with many dean's and administrators over the years - with very variable results. You are a terrific Dean who led us through some difficult times, and I appreciate both the personal interactions we had and what you did for the Economics department. I hope you are surviving this crisis well and wish the success in your next chapter that you have had in the last.  — David K. Levine

It has been a privilege being a faculty member serving in Arts & Sciences under your stewardship, which has been exemplary in every possible way. With each new Dean – and I have seen a few in my 37 years – it is hard to imagine that the new person can possibly replace and do as good a job as the last. But, without a doubt you surpassed all expectations and excelled, and once again we are faced with that sinking thought: "What are we going to do without Barbara?" Yet, time and time again, WU has proven effective in choosing superior leaders. They correctly identified you, and I believe they have identified a worthy successor, but we – very many of us – will miss working with you.  Warm thanks for all that you have done for so many. Wishing you the very best and an ever brighter future.  — Bill Wallace

On behalf of everyone in the physics department I would like thank you.  There are so many ways in which you have helped our department and the whole of Arts and Sciences to grow and strengthen.  For me, as chair, it has always been a pleasure to talk with you and benefit from your good advice, firm leadership, and personal warmth. I wish you all the very best.  — Mark Alford

You have been there for me since I arrived, providing me with praise when I needed it and questions when I deserved it. Thank you for your calm, thoughtful, and caring leadership as Dean. You have been a role model and inspiration to many. You have made WU and A&S a place to stay, to engage, and to enjoy.  Looking forward to the days we see each other walking the halls of Biology.  — Erik Herzog

Thank you for all you have done for Arts & Sciences over your years as Dean. You came into the office at a difficult time, and for your final few months you have faced an incredibly difficult time. Throughout you have done what was needed with a combination of dignity and wisdom. Best wishes in the upcoming next phase of your career.  — Marty Israel

Thanks, Barbara. I came to WashU as a faculty member exactly four years ago. I still remember you warmly welcoming me and the other new faculty members. I thank you for supporting my hire and providing resources to get my lab started. I enjoy the working environment here, and I always knew if I had any issues I could easily talk to you. I particularly thank you for the consideration given to assistant professors and tenure issues during the Covid-19 situation, which really lowered the negative impact on our research. I wish the best to you. I hope to still run into each other often on campus and say hi.  — Kun Wang

 I want to thank you for the last seven years of Dean of Faculty in Arts & Sciences. Your leadership, caring, and compassion will always be remembered.  — Donna Kepley

Thank you for all of your wonderful contributions as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences over the last seven years and for being such an excellent leader.  I am sure you will be just as busy afterwards with all of your interests and professional activities, but we hope you will have more time to come and see us often at the Missouri Botanical Garden!  Thank you for everything.  — Peter Wyse Jackson

Professor Barbara Schaal is a great leader. She stewarded the School of Arts & Sciences to new heights and brought prestige and honor to Washington University in St. Louis.  — Ramanath Cowsik

It has been my great pleasure to serve as a faculty member and a Department Chair under Barbara’s leadership. Her wisdom, calmness, and clear focus on enhancing the scholarly and teaching missions of the University have been an outstanding source of guidance and support. Further, her depth of character and her empathy and care for others provide a shining example of how to combine a brilliant mind and career with a deep humanity and concern for others.  — Deanna Barch

Thanks so much for your great work as the Dean of Arts & Sciences. I particularly liked your support of the Volkswagen post doc exchange, and your invitations to dinner when the head of the Volkswagen Foundation came to town. Your time as Dean was a very good time in general, and you did a lot for improving Arts & Sciences and the situation of the Humanities at Washington University. Furthermore you were an excellent representative of our university on the highest national levels. And during this challenging (to say the least) past semester you proved to be the ideal person in charge of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Best wishes for your future work and for your health, as ever.  — Mike Lützeler

Thank you so much for all your years of service to us here in Arts & Sciences. I especially appreciated your leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.  — Anna Eggemeyer

I hate to see you go.  I learned a lot working with you on Faculty Council and on various other committees. Although we did not always agree on policy decisions and directions, I had great respect for your leadership on campus and your way of dealing with tough issues. You will be sorely missed.  — Bret Gustafson

What a marvelous dean you have been! Thanks so much for all your leadership and how thoughtfully you handled difficult situations. I would be so sad you are stepping down, but the good side is we’ll have you back in the department. In the meantime, enjoy your sabbatical.  — Joan Strassmann

You are truly a delight to work with. Your optimistic attitude, your sense of humor, your ability to be so incredibly smart and at the same time humble are all characteristics we all aspire. I will miss seeing you frequent our office, but I expect regular updates on the dogs and Joe. I also want to thank you on behalf of Jedi and Mose for the 58 tennis balls.  We have somehow misplaced 55 of them, but I know when the last three are gone, you will be the first person I call. Thank you for your friendship, it means the world to me.  — Lisa Siddens

You are an amazing role model for so many! Thanks for always being there for us!  — Arpita Bose

I have enjoyed working with you, especially our discussions that were more about science and public policy than IAS. You and your staff helped make my time as director of IAS pretty drama free, which is a good thing for a chair or director. Best of luck as you move back to the faculty.  — Andy Sobel

It’s hard to explain how grateful I have been for your thoughtful, tireless, and compassionate leadership over the past several years. You have been extremely supportive of my own efforts on more than one occasion. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for the university.  Your leadership has been truly invaluable.  — Tom Oltmanns

I am glad for the chance to convey my appreciation to you for your steadfast leadership of A&S. You have been especially unruffled during the intense time of COVID-19 and alternate operations forced upon all of us by the pandemic. Those A&S Zoom faculty meetings and webinars can't have been easy! I also want to express my particular gratitude for your counsel while I was Interim Chair and then Acting Chair of Art History and Archaeology during the last several years.  — John Klein

Our time working together was too short, but I have surely enjoyed getting to know you and am planning to stay in contact with you.  — Jim Schiele

Barbara, you have been a great Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. I enjoyed all my interactions with you, and found you helpful whenever I needed help. Thank you for serving us so well.  — Pat Gibbons

Thank you for your generosity, wisdom, and sense of humor as dean of the largest and most diverse part of our institution. Biology is looking forward to having you back as a faculty member.  — Joe Jez

I first met you when you chaired the search for the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Since I assumed the position five years ago, you have become a close colleague and cherished friend. You have served as a role model to me and to other female administrators and for female faculty members, particularly in the sciences. You lead with an incredible combination of smarts and grace. Thank you for all you have contributed to WashU as the Dean of Arts & Sciences, and thank you for your role in bringing me to WashU!  — Lori White 

Thanks to Jim McLeod, I’ve had the pleasure of doing projects with Barbara Schaal for 20 years, but a long history of association doesn’t give me special insight, since her gifts and her giving are perfectly obvious and well-known. But someone should attest to the unusual pleasure of talking with her one-on-one, to a calm energy that she salts with what seems like a hybrid of humor and weary patience. In the best of those private conversations, one would be treated to her laughing betrayals of exasperation, which she seemed to share as if it were the most delectable of confidences. Her exasperation could make all burdens lighter and all annoyance seem like the prelude to a punchline. There’s no point in wishing that all administrators could disclose that droll fed-upedness in private conversation, since it’s inimitable, sui generous, and quietly amazing.  — Joe Loewenstein

Thank you for your exemplary leadership and your sage advice.  — Amy Eisen Cislo

You have been a fantastic dean. Not only have you embodied the highest personal standards of accomplishment, ethics, and hard work, but, even more importantly, you have brought kindness, empathy, and understanding to every encounter. It has been a privilege to serve under your leadership.  — John McCarthy

Your tenure as Dean of Arts & Sciences over the past seven years has been the highlight of my 33 years on the faculty at Washington University. In chair and director meetings, in full faculty meetings, and in your availability to faculty, you helped me and others understand what it means to collaborate in shaping Arts & Sciences at Washington University. For me, that experience was most manifest in my chair meetings with you and in the ways you and those in your office helped me become a better director and chair of WGSS. Your support and encouragement were central in helping WGSS to become a department. We are richer in faculty and curricular programming and in our ability to support undergraduate and graduate students as a result of your deanship. It was really a pleasure to work with you in chair and director meetings — you clearly valued our involvement, and your transparency and directness with us made us feel as if we are full citizens of this institution. Working on the APC increased my respect for Arts & Sciences, you, and my colleagues because you relied on us as a team in considering department requests, department and program reviews, and Arts & Sciences policy issues. I am so grateful for your leadership and most of all for your wisdom and humor throughout your seven years as dean. My very best to you as you take the next steps in your work and your life.  — Mary Ann Dzuback

Many thanks from a very appreciative Department of Art History and Archaeology. For seven eventful years, we have benefited from your respect for the Humanities, your engaged interest in our programs, your clever solutions to the inevitable dilemmas, and (always!) your great sense of humor. Congratulations on this moment of transition and enjoy the next chapter. And one day, we look forward to thanking you in person!  — Liz Childs

Thank you, Barbara, for seven years at the helm of A&S!  Your leadership and commitment to Washington University and the St. Louis community have been exemplary.  Best wishes from the departments of Physics and Earth and Planetary Sciences and the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences.  — Sarah Akin, Mark Alford, Brad Jolliff, and Jan Foster

Thank you for the excellent job you did being our A&S Dean. It was a pleasure working under your leadership. I wish you every happiness and success in your future endeavors.  — Maureen Kleekamp

It has been a distinct pleasure to serve the university under your leadership — and notably to report to the first woman Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Especially in the extremity of the recent months, the sterling qualities that we probably all took a little too much for granted when things were going well have become highly visible — reasoned response, compassion, collaboration, deep knowledge and understanding of the workings of this university and of higher education in general, to name a few.  There are many more appreciative things I would like to say one day in person when circumstances permit, but I did want to take this occasion to thank you publicly, in particular for your support of innovations in the graduate program of Comparative Literature, innovations that have allowed us to jumpstart the program in general. I will sorely miss the working relationship we built over the years of your tenure.  — Lynne Tatlock

Many thanks for your dedication to Arts & Sciences and years of service as dean. It was a great pleasure to work with you in the various small ways I was able to do so, and I hope to have more such opportunities again in the future!  — Frank Lovett

Thank you so much for your tremendous deanship: your successful mission in creating inclusivity; your omnipresence and support in all aspects of A&S life; your energy and time you dedicated to individuals; your utmost transparency; and for being a living example of a wonderful leader, educator, scholar, and person.  — Iva Youkilis 

I have learned a lot from you in the last two years, and I am looking forward to continue learning in the years to come. Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of Arts & Sciences.  — Gaetano Antinolfi

Thank you for your compassionate and tireless leadership during your tenure as dean. You have been a wonderful supporter of our program, and Arts & Sciences as a whole. Your concern for faculty, staff, and students is manifest, and your guiding hand helped so many through times of challenge, including the ongoing pandemic. With your leadership, the interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching of the College has excelled, and we have felt heard. Thank you very much. Best wishes for your next endeavors.  — Máire Murphy

From our first meeting until today, you have always been so welcoming, so helpful, so available. I know we do not know one another well (yet); nonetheless, I feel fortunate to have such a wonderful colleague as you. You most certainly deserve a break from the non-stop situations that call a dean to immediate action, and I hope you will get one and enjoy it. Your many years of service to the Arts & Sciences school are greatly appreciated, and have positioned the school well for an even brighter future. Thank you for being such an excellent and wise academic leader! I am grateful to you for your grace and your generosity of spirit. You are an example and an inspiration. With warmest regards, happy congratulations, and many thanks for all you do.  — Beverly Wendland

Thank you so much for your tireless efforts on behalf of the College of Arts & Sciences.  — Matt Gabel

We’re all so grateful for your years as dean and for the example of leadership you set. Despite all the knotty problems and anxieties of the academic workplace, you always perceived the strengths of the units and faculty of Arts & Sciences, and prioritized our health and functionality – as well as accessibility, transparency, and great communication. Future chairs and faculty will be better off thanks to your work. Enjoy your return to faculty life!  — Cathy Keane

Just a word to thank you for your steadiness and compassion during recent months. I can’t tell you how much the town hall Zooms have meant to me. I won’t attempt to describe your kindnesses over the years but will instead wish you bon voyage on this new adventure and hope that somehow we can stay in touch.  — Vivian Pollak

Thank you for your outstanding leadership, incredible generosity, and inspiring commitment to the mission of Arts & Sciences during your tenure as Dean of the Faculty. We are so grateful for everything you have done, especially your staunch support of the Humanities, during the last seven years.  — Ignacio Infante

You are a role model in more ways than one. Your contribution to the university is unmeasurable and personally, too, you have positively touched the lives of many people, mine included. I’m very grateful for all of it and wish you a relaxing and fulfilling time ahead.  — Margit Tavits

I had the honor of attending Dean Schaal’s presidential address before the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her remarks reflected a profound and abiding awareness of the broad contributions that science and scientists provide. In addition, as a former director of African and African American Studies, I was heartened by her decisions to grant that academic unit departmental status, and to revive WashU’s Department of Sociology. On a more personal note, she took time to help me with personal matters, and did so with gracious sensitivity. After nearly 50 years as a professor, I know well that Barbara’s tenure as dean has been truly beneficial and highly transformative.  — John Baugh

I am immensely grateful to Dean Schaal for her presence and hard work over the past seven years. I very clearly remember my first personal meeting with her. What could have been a nerve-wracking experience for a freshly hired assistant professor, turned into a pleasant and insightful conversation that stuck with me for a long time. There was somebody who listened to me, thought with me, and offered some genuine advice on how to navigate the institution. Every single meeting afterwards confirmed this impression, modeling a form of collegiality within the leadership that I aspire to as I mature and grow as a scholar, teacher, colleague, and member of the community. I particularly want to emphasize my gratitude for the calm, reflective, and supportive guidance Dean Schaal has given us during this semester of turmoil. These two words are not nearly enough, but: Thank you.  — Anika Walke

Absent Dean Schaal’s leadership, I wouldn’t be a faculty member at Washington University today, nor would any of my wonderful colleagues in the newly reconstituted Department of Sociology. And without Dean Schaal’s ongoing and persistent support for our project, we wouldn’t be much good. I can think of no higher achievement for an administrator than directing the creation of a new, dynamic, and successful program. Congratulations, Dean Schaal; we all owe you a great deal of gratitude for your fantastic work!  — Jake Rosenfeld

Many thanks for your wise and amiable leadership, and best of luck on your next adventure! — Eric Brown

We are so grateful for all you have done for Washington University. As early members of the re-established Department of Sociology, we have witnessed — from a front-row seat — the outstanding leadership and commitment you have displayed. Quite literally, we would not be here without you! The motivation for our re-formed department stemmed directly from your recognition of social inequality as a core concern in Arts & Sciences. Adding capacity in that area by forging an entirely new unit is the sort of bold approach that seems especially prescient today, as we reckon with so many pressing challenges in St. Louis and beyond. But we also recognize that, while the vision you displayed was necessary, it would not have been sufficient. You have done so much more over the past five years — including accessing and offering the necessary resources to allow our department to grow into a vibrant part of the curricular and research missions of Arts & Sciences faster than perhaps anyone thought possible. On behalf of our colleagues and students, we deeply appreciate these decisive contributions, and we will work hard to assure that your accomplishment in building Sociology from scratch enhances Arts & Sciences and Washington University for decades to come. It has been a true honor and pleasure to work with such an outstanding and visionary academic leader!  — Steve Fazzari and David Cunningham, on behalf of the Department of Sociology

The College, and the university, have been so enriched by your exemplary leadership — your dedication to our educational mission, your unfailing integrity and decency, and your cheerful and positive attitude. My own sense of gratitude to you is but a small token of the deep affection and admiration in which you are held by all of us. With gratitude for all that you've done, and with every best wish for all that lies ahead.  — Marvin Marcus

You led advancement efforts the same way you led the rest of Arts & Sciences — with wisdom and grace, making friends and earning respect everywhere you went. Over the years you have inspired and challenged the advancement team and our alumni leaders. I have enjoyed travelling with you, learning from you, and supporting your work in A&S. I am grateful for all of the time you spent with me and for all of the support you have given me personally. Please count me among your biggest fans. Thank you!  — Deborah Stine

I remember the first time meeting you. We were in the Earth and Planetary Sciences conference room starting to prepare for a faculty search, and you were part of that committee. I remember thinking, “Wow, what a dynamic personality.” Ray Arvidson explained to me who you were and what phenomenal accomplishments you’d made in your career. Before we really got the search underway you were made the Dean and we lost you as a committee member. Having been at Washington University for 29 years, I’ve seen a few deans come and go. While I feel all of the deans in my time here have made some contribution, none of them compare to you. You have led Arts & Sciences with a strong but compassionate hand. As a staff member, I’ve seen so much growth and team building in A&S while you have been at the helm. It’s a tremendous credit to a person’s leadership when their people respect and adore them, and your staff certainly do. I, and I know many of the faculty in EPS, will greatly miss having you as the dean. I hope that our paths cross on campus even if it’s just a quick hello. Wishing you a fantastic future.  — Marcia Holleran

Thank you for being a pioneer, not only for women in academia and in the field of biology, but also for being visionary for Arts & Sciences as a culminating body of knowledge and experience. WashU is a better place because of your efforts and your leadership.  Thank you for all you have done, and all you will continue to do.  — Mandi Walsh 

Thank you for your unparalleled leadership over the last seven years, especially through the unprecedented challenges of last few months. You are a top-notch scientist and a first-rate administrator, a rare accomplishment! — Yongseok Shin

Thank you for being an inspirational and dedicated leader for Arts & Sciences. It has truly been a pleasure sharing your vision and leadership with alumni, donors, and friends for many years. You have truly made an impact on our A&S community and we are better for it. While we didn’t get the chance to travel together often, I will always treasure our trip to Miami and getting better acquainted.  — Cathy Sullivan Jannings

Congratulations on your successful time as dean of A&S. You are admirable in many ways: (1) The ability to make science understandable to those who are not scientists; (2) You know your way around the airport and how to hurry to make earlier flights; (3) You are one of those people who never shows their jetlag and has great energy; (4) You have a great ability to bond with others when you meet with them one on one. I love how you interact with other women — so encouraging! (5) It is amazing what you know about the culture of people all over the world, based on your expertise in plants and crops. I hope you enjoy this time of focusing on what you enjoy the most!  — Tami Holder