President's message
Dear Members of the Saint Joseph’s College Community,
I’m pleased to announce that we’ve made substantial progress on the college’s Strategic Plan, which has been a top priority of mine over the last year. This fall the Board of Trustees will review it, and by the end of the year, we hope to widely distribute this pivotal document that establishes clear goals for the college (see strategic plan update).
In the spring I signed the American Colleges & University Presidents Climate Commitment, which means that going forward, Saint Joseph’s will be going greener. We’re establishing ways to become more sustainable, such as greening our older buildings, becoming more energy efficient and using more energy from renewable sources. Some of these efforts will be part of the Strategic Plan. We have made great strides overall in recycling and waste reduction, and now faculty and staff members have formed an E-team to conserve energy in their buildings and raise awareness among campus colleagues, similar to what the student eco-reps have done in the residence halls. In addition, a new grant from the Dorr Foundation will allow us to closely monitor and reduce our energy use (see College receives energy grant).
Summer continues to be a busy time for our grant-funded research scientists. If you want a bird’s eye view of one project, Dr. Johan Erikson has started a blog that documents his geological field research with research assistant Jeff Boudreau ’10. It includes both narrative and photos, and can be found at http://mineralsorting.blogspot.com/.
Also in the academic area, Saint Joseph’s is proud to offer a new art major that will not only allow students to explore creative problem solving, but also develop and enhance a culture of creativity and art appreciation on campus. Professor Scott Fuller has been instrumental in shaping the major, which will explore both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.
The Class of 2013 arrives on campus shortly. We anticipate close to 300 new students, who hail from nine states and two foreign countries, Bulgaria and Germany. As always, the Saint Joseph’s community will warmly welcome them, as well as provide mentoring and support through The Academic Center and the Office of Student Life. One person who will especially focus on getting new students involved in campus life is Nick Mirabello ’03, recently appointed as coordinator of student development.
I also want to draw your attention to the educational farm we have on campus, which is co-sponsored by the college and Bon Appétit. This wonderful project raises fresh, organic food for our dining hall, contributes a share of the crops to the local food pantry started by the college 17 months ago, and educates interns about small-scale organic agriculture. So, whether you’re an alumnus, a parent or a friend of the campus community, we hope you’ll join us this fall for a delicious, homegrown meal. We look forward to seeing you.
Sincerely,
Joseph Lee, Ph. D.
President