Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Strong Start – September 15, 2017
Thanks for positively kicking off the new academic year. Last week, our inaugural Student Convocation welcomed new students with fanfare and excitement with thanks to staff in the Student Involvement Office. This week, Dr. Heather Ostman facilitated Faculty Convocation that set the tone for the year ahead including a thought-provoking keynote from Provost Morest. Some of you participated in campus events honoring the victims of September 11 or attended other student-focused “Viking Days” events such as yesterday’s Homecoming of the Viking, which included games by our men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. Students selected our new Viking mascot’s name this week which will be announced on Blue and Gold Day (September 20).
The year ahead is full of opportunities to shape our work together. During Faculty Convocation, I conveyed the personal enjoyment I have in working side by side with you when you bring forward ideas to extend college access in the community and improve student success among those who enter our doors. I look forward to more of these work sessions this year.
The momentum is building to strengthen our work. Here are a few items I shared at Faculty Convocation:
- Presentations about a space utilization study conducted last spring that will initiate conversations around teaching and learning spaces with implications for high quality academic programming.
- A revamp of the Academic Master Plan well timed around discussions on space utilization, the arrival of our new provost, and a Middle States report due in September 2018.
- A refresh of the college’s Strategic Plan that takes into account advancements since the last refresh: a new strategic enrollment management plan, upcoming revisions to the Academic Master Plan, and studies into academic and administrative technology.
It is also my pleasure to participate with you and our students at special events around the college. Keep the invitations coming!
Have a terrific weekend!
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President