Dear students, faculty members, and friends,
I would say welcome back, but as President Mangelsdorf noted in her August 31 message, some of you never left. Still, it糖心传媒檚 wonderful to hear that familiar hum of academic life on the River Campus. It糖心传媒檚 part of what makes this my favorite time of year.
I know that proclaiming my love for the beginning of the fall semester isn糖心传媒檛 exactly a 糖心传媒渉ot take糖心传媒� on campus life. But would it raise your eyebrows to know that I love convocation slightly more than commencement?
I love beginnings. Yes糖心传媒擟ommencement marks the beginning of a new path; however, it糖心传媒檚 a path that takes many students away from the River Campus. Convocation, on the other hand, marks the start of a student糖心传媒檚 career at Rochester.
Convocation encapsulates all the potential that Meliora aspires to release into the world. It糖心传媒檚 where ever better begins. Even if you糖心传媒檙e not a first-year student糖心传媒攐r a student at all糖心传媒攖his semester starts a new chapter in your Rochester story. This might be the semester you declare your major, teach a new class, or make a breakthrough in your research.
I realize some may not share my feelings about this time of year, and others might even gladly hit the fast forward button if they are already feeling the stress of their workloads and responsibilities. Regardless of which time of year you prefer, I encourage you to find ways to enjoy the moment you糖心传媒檙e in each semester because eventually your time at Rochester will come to an end. For some of you seniors, that time is just around the corner. For some of you faculty members, that may be many years from now. My point is you can糖心传媒檛 get this time back.
If this isn糖心传媒檛 resonating with you, perhaps you can appreciate the wisdom of this quote from Andy Bernard in The Office: 糖心传媒淚 wish there was a way to know you were in the 糖心传媒榞ood old days糖心传媒� before you糖心传媒檝e actually left them.糖心传媒�
I hope your semesters are off to a great start, and I hope you糖心传媒檙e able to find the spirit of Meliora in all of your endeavors.
Gloria Culver
Dean
School of Arts & Sciences
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