September always brings many new faces to campus and this year I am one of them.
Since my arrival, I’ve had the pleasure of welcoming new faculty, many in their first academic appointments, and several new staff members throughout July and August. Now our new students – well over 5,000 – have arrived to our beautiful campus, many coming from out of town and out of country.
Together, we’re at the beginning of a new chapter – and that’s magical and electrifying. But at times being new can also be challenging, destabilizing and even a bit scary.
All the new people: If you are getting lost on campus (especially in the tunnels), feel like there is so much to learn and adapt to, or worry about doing a good job, we are in the same boat!
To our new students in particular, I invite you to give serious thought to the values you will hold yourself to as you tackle the challenge of being new. What will be your guiding principles?
Mine are patience, humility and discipline. Together they form the basis of my resilience. Good things may take a while to manifest themselves, not having all the answers is OK, and every day is an opportunity to work hard and to learn something.
Life is hard, which doesn’t mean it is not beautiful, but it is for sure hard. It can get you down at times. Resilience through hard times gives us the chance to adapt, and turn things around. It also makes us stronger as we go.
Things cannot always get worse all the time! There will be tough times, but all things must pass. And you can always find help along the way, including all the student services we offer here on campus. We are all on your side and we want you to succeed!
Welcome to all newcomers to campus! I wish you a wonderful time at Carleton, full of resilience when it rains and full of gratitude when the sun shines.
