Our first school week of the academic year 17-18 is nearly in the books. It has been amazing. For a few minutes on Monday nearly everyone in our community was looking into the sky to watch the moon cover the sun. How amazing was that? Sure, it was amazing that we were so close to a total eclipse and we got to see those crazy crescent shadows on the ground. Even better, was to all hangout marveling at our world. We materialized in powerful ways what we are up to here together. Hanging out to marvel at our world—not a bad way to think about university life, is it?
Most of you know by now that we are hosting our annual ice cream social on the lawn between Eddy and Education – new location!! Time: 4:30-6:00 pm more or less. We will have a department banner up and you will see me scooping ice cream and sorbet and a table filled with sundae fixings. Come and have some sweet stuff—by which I mean conversations as well as desert.
Should be a great evening to be on campus. There is free music as part of the Stadium Sessions music series. The new alumni center is hosting an open house. You know that Ann is working there more or less full time, so you might catch a glimpse of her if you wander by the open house. Hey, it is a really amazing time of year isn’t it?
 
Have you seen the great picture and story about Ram Welcome by Carol on our department web page? Elizabeth lead an awesome Ram Welcome meeting urging students to think about the stories that brought them to CSU and the stories they want to write while here. The students were fun, funny, energetic, and eager. I just love our undergraduates.
Here’s what I said I already knew about them. I knew that they were fun-loving and smart. That they didn’t take themselves too seriously and that they expected to work hard for their degree. They don’t believe that any particular thing is owed to them, but that they owe the world their good work. They all want to make a difference in their communities. And I told them that they had chosen the very best possible major. I really think that is true.
And they LOVED the CSU CMST branded fidget spinners that Carol and Elizabeth ordered for them. Do you have one? If not, let Carol know and she’ll hook you up!
Well, we are all so deeply embedded in the first week of class that I don’t have much else to report.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. For me, I think I will bake a couple of peach pies. I will join my friends Carl and Sue and Ann for the football game. I will spend much of Sunday working away on one project or another. I will walk the dog a couple of times. You know, a basic late summer weekend.
Yours,
Greg