Provost Blog

I have always found the start of the new academic year to be a time of excitement and optimism. I think for me there are several reasons: I very much enjoy meeting my new students. I like to know where they are from, what they want to study, what their dreams are, and what they are anxious about. I'm annually excited for this new phase of their lives; I love to hear what my returning students did over the summer. I never cease to be amazed at the travel and study abroad experiences, internship opportunities, or research projects that they describe to me; I enjoy catching up with colleagues and hearing of their summer adventures: the family trips, accomplishments of children, and research that they started, finished, or made good progress on; I am the kind of person who feels better with routine, and so I find myself very much looking forward to the mostly predictable routine of the semester. There is a comfort and security for me in the pattern and linearity of the academic calenda...

Welcome to this new blog. In this space I hope to explore ideas, reflect on issues, and stimulate discussion about topics relevant to Christopher Newport University's educational mission. The last few months have been like drinking from the proverbial fire hose. Today, as I officially become provost, I am humbled by the trust and responsibility and excited for the year ahead. This is the start of my 26th academic year at Christopher Newport (where has the time gone!), and I can honestly say that the last thing on my mind when I started was that I might someday be provost. In fact, I can remember having to turn some paperwork into the provost office my first semester, and being very nervous about even going up to the 4th floor of the old administration building! When I started in the fall of 1997, the university was a very different place not only in terms of the physical plant but also in terms of our student body. The students back then were on average older than our current stude...