In the days approaching August, the familiar late-summer question resurfaces across campus: What more can we do to ensure that students arriving for fall classes step into the best Indiana University possible? The answer lies in the creativity and hard work of many faculty and staff who spend countless hours designing and implementing innovative programs to onboard, support, and nurture the many students who will soon walk through the Sample Gates and call IU home.
Season of potential
Student arrival
In just a few days, the Intensive Freshman Seminars Virtual Week kicks off and includes a series of online lectures, tours, events, and experiences. Students participating in IFS will move into their residence halls on August 6, alongside international and early arrival students.
From there, we enter the two-week cascade of residence hall check-ins, finishing touches on syllabi, and the thousands of exigencies associated with a buzzing campus and a new academic year.
As students participate in a reimagined New Student Induction, they have the whole of an enhanced Welcome Week to look forward to. First Year Experience and Student Life staff have taken great care to integrate events that celebrate the diverse populations of IU, support early exploration of career paths, focus on health and wellness, and help new Hoosiers connect with their academic home.
New offerings include a scavenger hunt, a special event for first-generation students, a Dunn Meadow dance party, and a variety of self-guided tours to help students find classrooms, iconic campus landmarks, and more.
Campus updates
I am thrilled to enter this semester with ambitious leaders in place and on the way.
Searches for the associate vice president and vice provost for research, dean of the School of Optometry, and executive director of the IU Innovates Hub are ongoing and should wrap up in the coming weeks.
As we get into the fall semester, we plan to launch searches for deans of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, as well as the School of Education.
It is in this season of newness and potential that I am also excited to share that we have made significant progress this summer toward implementation of the IUB 2030 strategic plan, which has now spent about a year in earnest development. Thanks again to Deans Rick Van Kooten and Stacy Morrone for their leadership of our implementation team and to the full group for their outstanding insights. We will have much more to share on next steps in the coming days.
As we continue to work together toward the best Indiana University possible, know that I am sincerely grateful to all who share in our efforts.
