The first day of classes: The usual confusion about classroom location, the uncertainty about what’s required and the apprehension as to what’s expected.

For some, this is your first time away from home. For some, it’s the challenge of becoming acclimated to a new country and culture. Some may be the first in the family to attend college. For others, it’s the chance to see what’s changed around campus with the growing realization that your campus days are drawing to a close.

This is all part of the university experience – a chance to explore new things, become acquainted with new ideas and have the opportunity to reflect upon your direction, plans and hopes.

It’s more than an opportunity to explore the mysteries of calculus, DNA, French poetry, the marketing of services, physiology or contemporary piano composition. It’s more than an opportunity to renew old acquaintances and regale each other with tales of summer activities. It’s more than trying to satisfy your dissertation professor who seems to be deliberately imposing ever-increasing challenges. It’s more than weekend evenings spent in prolonged social activities.

It’s really all about asking you to sit up, take notice and become aware – truly aware – of your surroundings in terms of culture, field of knowledge, society and the greater world that you and I inhabit.

For we know that, when you leave and begin your career, your days of being a passive recipient of information will be drawing to a close and you’ll be challenged to improve society by contributing to your employer through your work.

You’ll be asked to think – really think – and reflect on your work, your home, your locality, your society, your nation and your world. The visual communications major will be required to understand the effects of salmonella and the consequent need to discard contaminated eggs. The English major will need to appreciate the effects of the national deficit so he or she can vote intelligently in November. The accounting major will be required to understand foreign cultures so the effects of actions taken half a world away can be comprehended.

In short, the university’s job is to stretch your mind in many different directions, not so you can understand everything in depth – which is impossible – but so you can realize there is usually more to events and occurrences than meets the eye, and that complex problems are not always, if ever, solved by simple solutions.

You’ll be faced with challenges; so are we. As you are aware, the University is putting up new buildings and renovating old ones. This results in the expenditure of funds and the disruption of some campus activities. Full-time University faculty will be asked to vote on whether or not to form a faculty union. The state-supported share of student support has been reduced over the past few years. There is simply no end to challenges and problems.

And yet, this is a happy circumstance for all of us. Problems and challenges beg for solutions, and it’s up to all of us to respond. A university education is designed to enable us to respond more intelligently.

So, welcome, either for the first time or for a continuation of your educational experience. We’re all here to help.