As we start the school year together, I am so pleased to see you all, rested and energized, and ready to tackle the opportunities ahead. I hope you had an engaging, yet restorative summer. I know I did, and I am excited to begin the year with you anew. The beginning of the school year [...]
Dear Readers, I have asked Lisa Gates, associate dean of experiential education, assessment, and planning, to be this month’s guest blogger. She is writing about the vision behind the new Center for Education in Action and how the center’s work is critical to a liberal arts education. Not only is her post informative, it also [...]
The annual Posse Plus Retreat was held at Lake Morey in early March, and I felt privileged to be there as a participant. This event gave Posse Scholars an opportunity to invite other members of our campus into a critical dialogue for a full weekend. More than 120 faculty, staff, and students attended, committing their [...]
Dear Readers, I first met Jacob Udell at a meeting with the Religious Life Council, at the very beginning of my first year as Dean of the College. His intellectual fire, fierce leadership, and disarming honesty instantly impressed me. Subsequently, he followed up with a meeting in which we explored how to bring together students [...]
Dear Readers, In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I have asked Jennifer Herrera, special assistant to the dean of the College and senior adviser for diversity initiatives, to be our guest blogger. Jennifer has an interesting story to tell about how active community engagement awakened in her. As always, we look forward to [...]
Today, I would like to discuss a dilemma created by cyber-communication (and, yes, it is ironic that I am writing about this topic in a blog). Like many people, I text, post on Facebook, and use other cyber-tools because they are easy, fun, and help me stay connected. But I’ve been thinking about what is [...]
Dear Readers, I have the honor of serving as co-chair of Community Council with Raymond Queliz. I have asked him to write this week’s post about student leadership on campus and ways in which students can shape the future of the College. As co-chair of Community Council, president of KDR, a member of Student Government, [...]
Today, I am writing about plates. It seems almost comical that this is the subject of my post, but since pilfered dishes have been a major topic of discussion throughout campus lately, I’d like to bring up an aspect of this issue that has not received much attention. We’ve talked about the extremely high cost [...]
Dear Readers, I asked Natasha Chang to share with us part of her story, and to talk about why she decided to do her work as a faculty member and Commons dean. In this week’s post, Natasha shares her experience about finding a sense of identity and provides a very personal and enlightening viewpoint. As [...]
The recent, very sad events at Rutgers University have lain heavily on my mind—and that of many others within our community. For Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, the world should have been opening up with exciting, new possibilities; yet, soon after beginning college, he ended his own life. He was beaten down by the unthinking cruelty [...]
