Message from Chancellor Ford
Colleagues and Community Partners:
Welcome to the 2014 fall semester. I'll start by saying thank you to the many faculty and staff who made this year's edition of Ranger Welcome such a success. For those of you who were part of yesterday's events, you saw the amazing enthusiasm that the Class of 2018 brings to our campus.
Notice the year … 2018. Many of the students we welcome today will graduate as we begin the celebration of our 50th year.
In my convocation message last week, you heard me talk about the real and amazing power of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to transform lives. At the heart of the transformation is the experience we deliver to each of our students. A great example of that experience is a story about five students from Milwaukee who find success and lasting friendships at Parkside thanks in part to commitment and dedication on the part of faculty and staff.
Also, I hope you had the opportunity to read the story recounting yesterday's Ranger Welcome. It's posted at UWP.edu on the faculty-staff page and home page. One of our new students commented that members of the Ranger Welcome staff made her feel like she was, "meant to be here." That statement clearly shows the difference each of us can make in our students' lives.
Whether you represent the faculty, classified staff, academic staff, alumni or one of our many community partners, you have the real and amazing ability to transform a person's life. It could be something as simple as an encouraging word. It could be a piece of friendly advice. Never underestimate the importance of your interactions with our students. Together, we make the University of Wisconsin-Parkside a place that our students and our communities can count on to build better tomorrows.
For those of you who subscribe to the Kenosha News, you may have noticed an op-ed piece by John Crisp, a member of the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. As Mr. Crisp points out, we all share in the amazing opportunity to start fresh twice each year.
Enjoy the fresh start, enjoy the semester, and thank you for all you do to make UW-Parkside "Real. Amazing."
Debbie