The energy on campus is back. As much as everyone appreciates the summer months, there is no denying how exciting it is to have the campus buzzing again with anticipation as we begin another academic year.
Welcome to all those returning to campus and a special welcome to all the new faculty, staff and students who are beginning the next phase of their lives at the University of Lethbridge.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce our new Board of Governors Chair, alumnus Kurt Schlachter (BSc ’00), as well as the new members of the board who have joined our community over the summer. I look forward to working with you as we enter our 50th anniversary year.
I invite everyone to take in the annual Welcome Back BBQ on Tuesday. Sept. 20 at noon in the bus loop area outside the Students’ Union. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with your colleagues and to welcome new people to campus. As well, I urge all new faculty and staff to come to the New Employee Welcome event on Thursday, Sept. 22 hosted by our Human Resources Department. If you are new to the University you will have received an invitation but feel free to contact Human Resources (human.resources@uleth.ca) for more information.
Those new to campus or who haven’t been at the University over the summer months will notice the amazing progress we are making on the Destination Project. Once shovels went into the ground in the spring, activity has been non-stop and from what I understand, the project is well ahead of schedule. This being the most transformative project we’ve undertaken since the U of L was established originally, please take the time to visit the Destination Project website for continual updates on its evolution.
In the last academic year, one of the things I enjoyed most was setting aside time to meet with every unit on campus. This year, I plan to connect with people across the university by scheduling informal coffee roundtables throughout the academic year. If you are interested in chatting with me, please contact Deb Bullock at bullockd@uleth.ca and we can ensure that you are invited to a roundtable discussion.
We are entering an extremely exciting year at the U of L, as we both look back at our first 50 years and look ahead with anticipation to all that the Destination Project promises. Enjoy your time here at the University, and make the most of all the opportunities presented to you by becoming involved. Check out a club activity, go to cheer on the Pronghorns, attend a lecture or workshop and take in one of our many fine arts productions. It’s a great time to be at the U of L and I look forward to sharing this journey with you in the months ahead.