Throughout our lives we make promises that really matter. We make a promise when we take the Cadet oath or our civilian freshmen oath to be the very best Norwich student we can be. We make a promise to our spouse and to God when we marry to be faithful and to love them no matter what. We make a promise when we take an oath of office, for a commission to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. These promises are very important. So are Norwich's promises to our students.

I have been doing a lot of thinking since the sale of Vermont College about the Norwich of 2019. I have spent ten years as your President, leading the institution and listening to its alumni, faculty, staff and students. I am writing to ask for everyone's input and thoughts on how they perceive Norwich and the promises it has made to them.

We want to be known as an institution that keeps its promises. I believe I know what those promises are to our students. I seek validation that you, our student body, understands the same promises that I believe we make as an institution.

I have established an email account entitled, "Promise@norwich.edu". I am asking you to tell me what you think Norwich's promises are and let me know if you think we are living up to those promises. I want to share your thoughts with other members of the faculty and staff. However, if you tell me otherwise, I will remove your name so that it will be completely anonymous. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts about the promises Norwich has made to you, our students, and how we are living up to them.

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