This is one of my favorite times of the year – a very close second to commencement – because it marks the beginning of a new traditional academic year. As we approach the new semester, the words of Robert M. Hutchins, an American educational philosopher, remind us of the ultimate purpose of education:
“Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.”
The traditional fall 2022 semester begins on Monday, Aug. 29, but some programs have other start dates. Over the next couple of weeks, faculty will finalize course syllabi and thousands of Brenau students will purchase textbooks and other materials. Countless staff members will finalize preparations for move-in days for on-campus students and orientation sessions for new students – all coming up the week of Aug. 22.
It takes a lot of hard work over the course of several months to prepare for the fall semester, and I’m personally thankful to every Brenau faculty and staff member for your role in ensuring Brenau is ready. This institution cannot fulfill its mission to challenge students to live extraordinary lives without the contributions of each member of our Brenau community.
To show my appreciation for Brenau’s employees, the Faculty and Staff Community Meeting and lunch will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the Downtown Center. We also will be sharing important information and celebrating our progress at Brenau. If you have not done so already, please use this link to place your lunch order before Friday, Aug. 12. Faculty, staff and students also will gather at Pearce Auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 8, beginning at 12:45 p.m. for our Opening Fall Convocation; more information will be forthcoming about that event.
In other Brenau news, I welcomed Mexican Consulate General Francisco Javier Díaz de León and Gabriela Cobos Uribe on Friday, Aug. 5, to celebrate the IME Becas grant that allows first-generation Mexican-American students to pursue higher education at the university. I’m thankful to the Mexican Consulate for their continued support of Brenau and our students. The initiative supports the globalization efforts of our Miller Institute for Global Education and multiple strategies of our strategic plan, including: grow our undergraduate and Women’s College; improve access and affordability; and meet the needs of our diverse student population.
I look forward to a great year at Brenau, and appreciate your support in making that happen.
Until the next post, please follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn for more of what’s happening at Brenau.
