August 25, 2013
Dear Students:
Welcome and welcome back to TCNJ. I hope that everyone had a summer break that was both restful and energizing and that you’re happy to be (back) in our campus community. Freshmen: you’ve been on campus for a few days and I hope you’ve settled in well to your room in the residence hall and that you’ve been having fun and making friends. Upper-class students: I hope you’re move today will be an easy one.
For some of you, the summer was a time with family celebrations, perhaps a wedding or the welcoming of a new baby in the extended family. For others, the summer may have brought the passing of a beloved family member, a friend, or a pet. For my family there was a bit of both: we learned the news that a beautiful baby is on the way for my niece and her husband, but we lost our dog, Webster, to bone cancer. For those of you who knew Webster through your participation in the Dog and Cat Stress Relief Days on campus, I assure you that there are other pet owners among the faculty and staff dedicated to continuing the tradition that Webster and I started on our campus. Of course, the strength of a family, and of a community, is that we can celebrate joyous occasions and help one another through sad times. Now that we have reconvened as a campus community, I hope we will be able to share our joy and comfort one another in sadness.
And now that we are (back) together for the school year, this is my chance to remind you all to recognize the privilege afforded you to attend TCNJ, one of the best colleges in the country, and to take full advantage of it. Remember that opportunities – such as internships, undergraduate research, community-engaged learning, study abroad, and leadership – will not fall into your lap like manna from heaven. You must seek them out. I urge you to be assertive about your college education. This is an excellent time to take a moment and think about your goals and dreams and map out a plan to achieve them. If you haven’t gone to TCNJ’s Career Center yet, make a date in your schedule to go there and learn about their services and take advantage of them. What will it mean for you to have a good year this year at college? Please think about that for a few minutes and then take a look at this essay: http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/le-sp13/jennings.cfm
One of the extraordinary opportunities at TCNJ is the chance to meet exciting classmates. Upper-class students: I urge you to make some time to meet some freshmen. Remember when you were a freshman? Freshmen: this is a time to make new friends in all the classes (and in all your classes). I know that some of you have come to TCNJ with friends from high school. Don’t forget those friends, but don’t restrict your social circle to what it was in high school.
Please also join me in welcoming a new faculty member to our community, Dr. Mindi McMann, who came from California to join our English Department. We are very excited to welcome her to our faculty.
I also ask you to join me in welcoming two students to the HSS Team: Jack Meyers will be our HSS webmaster this year; Jaryd Frankel will be our HSS photographer. There is a story about these two students on the HSS website.
There are many events and opportunities coming soon, a few of which are listed below; stay tuned for more events listings in future weekly messages. In addition, in the congratulations section of my message, also below, I’ve taken the liberty of congratulating some of our 2013 graduates on their jobs and graduate school fellowships. Some of you will be following in their footsteps sooner than you think.
In closing, I wish all HSS students a happy, healthy, and successful fall semester.
Sincerely,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dean,
BR
PS If you haven’t done so already, please don’t forget to like HSS on Facebook and follow HSS on Twitter.