Dear Students,
The first week of class is here! If you are new to UMD, we are so happy you have joined us. Welcome. If you are a returning student, it is great to have you back. Take a minute to see what some of our faculty and staff told Champ about what it is like at UMD.
This year, we are estimating about a five percent increase in new freshman with around 2,250 new incoming students. Graduate program enrollment is also experiencing positive growth. While enrollment numbers are not final until a couple weeks into the semester, I am excited about this positive growth.
In my greeting to faculty and staff last week, I stressed that one of my main priorities this year is campus climate. It is up to each one of us to take personal accountability for improving campus climate. I'm proud of the progress we have made, but we must do more. The results of our campus climate survey and subsequent conversations guide us to focus on three primary areas:
The first week of class is here! If you are new to UMD, we are so happy you have joined us. Welcome. If you are a returning student, it is great to have you back. Take a minute to see what some of our faculty and staff told Champ about what it is like at UMD.
This year, we are estimating about a five percent increase in new freshman with around 2,250 new incoming students. Graduate program enrollment is also experiencing positive growth. While enrollment numbers are not final until a couple weeks into the semester, I am excited about this positive growth.
In my greeting to faculty and staff last week, I stressed that one of my main priorities this year is campus climate. It is up to each one of us to take personal accountability for improving campus climate. I'm proud of the progress we have made, but we must do more. The results of our campus climate survey and subsequent conversations guide us to focus on three primary areas:
1. Make our campus more diverse
2. Make our campus more inclusive
3. Decrease and ideally eliminate bullying at UMD
I also spoke about what's been weighing on my mind and heart lately, particularly with the recent events in Charlottesville, VA. We need to make clear that UMD stands firm against white supremacy, bigotry, and violence. We denounce the extremist and hate-filled messages, flags, and other symbols that are used by neo-Nazism, white supremacists, and other similar groups to promote hate, oppression, and violence. There is no room for racism, sexism, homophobia, Jewish persecution, xenophobia, and other forms of hate at UMD, in Duluth, or in our nation.
I want to thank all of the tremendous students who gave their time, talent and endless energy last week welcoming our new students during move-in and Bulldog Welcome Week activities. All over our campus I saw students modeling UMD's core values of learning, discovery, engagement, inclusiveness, sustainability, integrity, and excellence. It is truly inspiring, and your excitement, passion, and dedication make us all proud to be part of UMD.
However, off campus we continue to have issues as a small number of UMD students created a host of disturbances and problems in the surrounding neighborhoods on move-in day. We do not support the out of control partying that occurred off campus or the signs that are sexually explicit and make others feel uncomfortable. We sympathize with the students' neighbors and the new students and their families who experienced students shouting at them and waving inappropriate signs. Most of all, we're concerned about the safety risks to students and anyone driving on roads adjacent to campus.
It is my hope that you, students, will drive change to this negative aspect of our student culture. I want to support you in that effort, and I have asked Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students Lisa Erwin to engage the entire campus community in this discussion. I want our community, your parents, our neighbors, and our students to always be proud of UMD.
As a student, it is important for you to be an active member of our campus community. Please participate in campus events, discussions, and take advantage of our great facilities and recreational activities. Campus leadership also wants to hear from students. The best way to do that is to engage and provide feedback to the UMD Student Association, which serves as the official voice of the student body.
Thank you and have a great start to your semester!
Sincerely,
2. Make our campus more inclusive
3. Decrease and ideally eliminate bullying at UMD
I also spoke about what's been weighing on my mind and heart lately, particularly with the recent events in Charlottesville, VA. We need to make clear that UMD stands firm against white supremacy, bigotry, and violence. We denounce the extremist and hate-filled messages, flags, and other symbols that are used by neo-Nazism, white supremacists, and other similar groups to promote hate, oppression, and violence. There is no room for racism, sexism, homophobia, Jewish persecution, xenophobia, and other forms of hate at UMD, in Duluth, or in our nation.
I want to thank all of the tremendous students who gave their time, talent and endless energy last week welcoming our new students during move-in and Bulldog Welcome Week activities. All over our campus I saw students modeling UMD's core values of learning, discovery, engagement, inclusiveness, sustainability, integrity, and excellence. It is truly inspiring, and your excitement, passion, and dedication make us all proud to be part of UMD.
However, off campus we continue to have issues as a small number of UMD students created a host of disturbances and problems in the surrounding neighborhoods on move-in day. We do not support the out of control partying that occurred off campus or the signs that are sexually explicit and make others feel uncomfortable. We sympathize with the students' neighbors and the new students and their families who experienced students shouting at them and waving inappropriate signs. Most of all, we're concerned about the safety risks to students and anyone driving on roads adjacent to campus.
It is my hope that you, students, will drive change to this negative aspect of our student culture. I want to support you in that effort, and I have asked Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students Lisa Erwin to engage the entire campus community in this discussion. I want our community, your parents, our neighbors, and our students to always be proud of UMD.
As a student, it is important for you to be an active member of our campus community. Please participate in campus events, discussions, and take advantage of our great facilities and recreational activities. Campus leadership also wants to hear from students. The best way to do that is to engage and provide feedback to the UMD Student Association, which serves as the official voice of the student body.
Thank you and have a great start to your semester!
Sincerely,
Lendley C. Black
Chancellor
