Dear Students,
I hope you have settled into your first weeks of classes and are starting to get to know your faculty, and other students in your courses. For those of you doing internships, field experiences or student teaching, I hope that your experience is one where you are connecting your classroom learning to the workplace, and where you become even more confident in yourself, and your future path. The beginning weeks of the school year are a time for fresh starts and for defining success that lies ahead. This time of year also reminds me how grateful I am for the privilege of being able to work with you, our wonderful students, who have chosen Saint Rose for part of your life journeys. I hope you will join me this academic year in a renewed sense of optimism, determination and focus on your studies.
I want to thank all of you who participated in Reach Out Saint Rose last week. This day is the fulfillment of the values of the College’s founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. They served the needs of their community in 1650 France and we do so today, carrying out their legacy hundreds of years later.
In fact, the courage and boldness of the College’s new 2016-2020 Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in May, is inspired by and emanates from our founders. Our strategic plan challenges us to become an institution that reflects, inspires, and empowers global connectedness, and to become a diverse first-choice destination for students from other countries and other states. This plan is about much more than recruiting more students. The heart of this plan is student success—ensuring that all students have a clear pathway toward degree completion while being prepared for career launch, and service to their communities.
While strategic plans are by their very definition aspirational, they also give us the opportunity to recognize areas of strength and distinctiveness. Saint Rose is already known for being creative and innovative. Over the next four years, we want to further develop this spirit of creativity and innovation and prepare students to solve real world problems, using new approaches. One of the tactics of this goal is to expand internship opportunities, so that each of you has the opportunity for at least one internship or field experience. I also encourage you to apply for internship or fellowship opportunities in other parts of the United States and in other countries. We want to continue to build an alumni network of mentors for you who will guide you in your career exploration, and, perhaps, provide hands-on experience and employment after graduation.
In terms of co-curricular programming for our students, I want you to suggest how we can offer different programming that is of interest to you, and that will support your intellectual development, as well as your exploration of future pathways to success. Perhaps this is an opportunity to consider how we use the gems of our campus, our historic homes, to provide living environments that stimulate informal conversation following class and lab meetings, and team studying and project work. We will be looking at this idea this semester and we want your input.
