Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that the 2012 Spring Student Symposium will begin on the evening of Thursday, April 19, 2012, in the MCFA and continue with a full day of presentations on Friday, April 20, in MBH, Johnson, and MCFA. The Symposium showcases our students’ intellectual accomplishments across the disciplines, and includes student lectures, performances, posters, panels, art installations, and readings. More than 250 students from all four classes presented their work last year.

At this time I write to encourage you to participate in three ways:

1)      Classes are not held on Friday, April 20. Please refrain from scheduling any academic or co-curricular events on the evening of Thursday, the 19th, or during the day and evening of the 20th.

2)      Please keep an eye out for students doing interesting work, and encourage them to submit an application online beginning January 16. They need not be seniors; in recent years we have seen exciting presentations from juniors, sophomores, and first-years as well. Eligible work includes independent research, class projects, internships or community projects exploring a particular question or topic, creative work, and research conducted abroad.

3)      See go/sym for more information on how faculty and staff can become involved, including volunteering as a session facilitator or discussion moderator.

I thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Jim Ralph
Dean of the Faculty

For the Spring Student Symposium Planning Committee: Bob Cluss, Hang Du, Karen Guttentag, Pat Manley, Yonna McShane, Colleen Norden, Jim Ralph, Shel Sax, Shawna Shapiro, Kathy Skubikowski, Gregg Vitercik