Dear Orange Friends:
As I write this, many of our students, faculty, and staff are starting their Thanksgiving Break–which will be quickly followed by an intense rush of activities as we conclude classes and examinations before the end of the year. I hope that we can all stop and take time to be thankful. I hope that we all take this time to cherish family and friends, whether they be near or far.
Dear Orange Friends:
Nearly 27 years ago, terrorism struck the Syracuse University community and changed our world forever. Because of Pan Am Flight 103, this great University long ago experienced the searing pain of terrorism. Each day since then, we have paid respect to those victims and learned how to reassert and fight for our values of good in the face of evil.
Dear Orange Friends:
Syracuse University has been working hard to raise awareness about and to put an end to sexual and relationship violence. I appreciate the great efforts of the Workgroup on Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Advocacy; the Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence; and all our dedicated students, faculty, and staff members.
Dear Orange Friends:
I have been teaching negotiation this semester with Maxwell doctoral candidate Hengel Reina, most recently in the format of a one-credit course offered for nine hours on a Saturday and four hours on a Sunday during the same weekend. The students come from almost all the schools and colleges of the University (with a plurality of law students). We have them negotiate and draft several agreements (a simple sales contract, an employment contract, a settlement of a dispute between a doctor, hospital, and patient). We compare the results of the simulations, review recordings of the students negotiating, and discuss ways to improve as an ethical negotiator.
Dear Orange Friends:
This past summer I climbed a drumlin on the edge of South Campus to visit the University’s Outdoor Challenge Course , a project led by the Department of Recreation Services within the Division of Student Affairs. The hilltop site includes huge towers with ropes extended between them, and lots of opportunities to develop teamwork and fitness by navigating various climbing challenges on them.
Dear Orange Friends:
Last night, the University Lectures kicked off its 15th season with world-renowned pianist Leon Fleisher. He is in the midst of a four-day visit to Syracuse University. It was an outstanding evening, filled with music and wisdom.
Dear Orange Friends:
Alumna Mary Gold recently shared her family legacy with me. Her parents brought Mary to Flint Hall in the fall of 1959 to begin her journey at Syracuse University. In 1963, her mother and grandmother proudly watched from the stands of Archbold Stadium as she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Dear Orange Friends:
A lot happens on the Syracuse campus on a typical day, and it is hard to take it all in. We have great faculty and a strong academic community, and that means a lot of people come here for visits, including from other universities. Sometimes our students, faculty, and community have an opportunity to see and interact with many of the best scholars in the world on a salient set of issues. That happens again this weekend, when our philosophy department hosts the Third Annual Workshop for Oxford Studies in Political Philosophy. The schedule of events is very impressive.
Dear Orange Friends:
Last week I sat in at the back of a lot of classes, including Introduction to Managerial Accounting (Whitman); Race, Gender, and the Media (Newhouse); Principles of Instruction and Learning (Education); and Introduction to Family Development (Falk). I will be sitting in on other classes in all colleges over the course of the semester, and teaching my own course in negotiation to students from many schools.
Dear Orange Friends:
I am deeply grateful to a large group of Syracuse people who, over the course of the summer, worked hard to improve the physical infrastructure of our campus. There were times this summer when it was difficult to walk ten feet without dodging a construction project , but the results are impressive.
