Dear colleagues,
Welcome to the new academic year! New student move-in starts on Wednesday and Thursday and classes begin Monday. We are off to what feels like a quick start.
You can find the Welcome Week schedule online. I’d encourage you to join as you’re able, including the Bulldog Welcome Week Kickoff! in Romano Gym on Thursday at 4 p.m. We’ll be cheering students on as they enter at 3:45, replicating the same way we celebrate them as they graduate and creating a wonderful full circle connection. It would be great to have you there to welcome our new Bulldogs. Whatever way you’re able to participate in welcoming our community back to campus this week, thank you for being a part of it.
Many of you joined us at the faculty and staff welcome event yesterday for a chance to connect and make generous contributions to Champ’s Cupboard. At the event, I shared reflections on the incredible energy and momentum at UMD.
I'm filled with optimism about where we're headed as a community. UMD has a powerful story to tell. My first year was about listening, learning, and understanding that story—so I can share it widely and proudly. Yesterday, I shared just a few recent stories that I’ve heard or been witness to, from joining our faculty and student scholars on Lake Superior to see some of the work that exemplifies why UMD has earned its Carnegie Research University classification, to witnessing our students present on impactful research and perform in the arts, to community events like Concerts on the Pier at Glensheen.
Our campus is thriving – U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Duluth among the top 15 college towns in the Midwest. Duluth is the only city in Minnesota to receive this distinction. Our campus received national recognition as an opportunity university, highlighting both access to UMD and strong post-graduate earnings. We’ve expanded our research profile with increased support for faculty and students to engage in groundbreaking discovery, and earned national recognition as a community-engaged university because of our sustained commitment to and deep partnerships throughout Duluth and the surrounding region.
This recognition speaks to the vibrant community we've built together.
UMD’s distinctive strengths—our research, our student experience, and our deep ties to the northland and region—are central to the University of Minnesota’s collective future.
As I think about the beginning of this academic year, I recognize that we have much to celebrate, from our academic excellence to community engagement and student successes. Much of that can be distilled to the real connections that we can make here at UMD. We’re the right-sized institution—big enough to offer a rich collegiate experience, to foster abundant curiosity and discovery, yet small enough for students to build meaningful relationships with faculty and fellow students. Students consistently share how those connections open doors and shape their futures. I’d encourage each of you to find those opportunities where you can connect with students within and beyond the classroom.
While final enrollment statistics will not be available until later in the semester, early indicators suggest positive momentum, with growth in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment. I look forward to sharing those figures with you soon.
Every interaction, moment, and adventure our student scholars have while attending UMD is a step toward their future and a learning opportunity. Those experiences provide the groundwork for a lifetime of achievements, while also offering something that is unique to this institution, community, state, and region.
Thank you for being a part of this amazing place, for supporting our student scholars as they pursue their goals, and for making UMD what it is.
Have a great start to the year. |
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