Hello, FAU Nation! The summer has flown by and we stand on the threshold of a new academic year, one that holds limitless promise for our new and returning students. To help everyone get off on the right foot, the University is once again offering the warmest of welcomes. As in years past, faculty and staff will participate in two very special occasions: Move-In Day and the 2013 Freshman Convocation.
 
Move-In Day is the day – or I should say days – on which residential students move into their FAU homes. This rite of return will happen on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 21 and 22, on the Boca Raton campus and on Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 20 and 22, on the Jupiter campus. Volunteer faculty and staff will do everything from directing new arrivals to the correct residence halls to unloading students' gear and helping carry it to their rooms. In addition to providing practical assistance that will undoubtedly be greatly appreciated, this FAU tradition gives us the opportunity to meet students and their families in an informal setting.
 
On Sunday, Aug. 25, the seventh annual Freshman Convocation will take place in the Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium on the Boca Raton campus. The keynote speaker will be FAU's 2013 Distinguished Teacher of the Year, Dr. Rhonda Goodman. This is an especially important occasion because research shows that first-time-in-college students who are formally welcomed to the university community have an increased likelihood of staying on track in their studies and graduating on time. Following the 1 p.m. Convocation, all freshmen, faculty and staff are invited to a “Get WOW’d” Activities Fair, featuring plenty of food, fun and entertainment.
 
I’m confident that the fall semester will get off to an excellent start and that the FAU Nation will have much to celebrate this year.
 
Go Owls!