Over the past year, the Norwich Community has been forced to face
up to and deal with a number of terrible issues. From student deaths
to car accidents, these events and more have lent a negative connotation
to the name of the Norwich student. If some sources are to be believed,
this university is a breeding ground for dangerous, rabble-rousing,
party animals with no concern for themselves or others. If this
were true, it might explain some of the incidents that have occurred;
however, as anyone who has visited this university can testify,
this is not the case.
There may be some individuals who possess some of these traits, but by no
means are they in the majority. The fact that Norwich seeks out
intelligent, active, and ethical students to come here, and that
they stay, suggests Norwich has something worthwhile to offer.
It stands to reason that for so many to love this school, there
must be a reason for it. Norwich University advertises that
students learn how to take control of their lives in a positive
manner, as well as how to learn from their mistakes in order to
become better leaders.
Most students know that if your car breaks down at night, you
may be passed by by thirty cars, but the thirty-first will be a
Norwich student who stops to help, and who will not leave until
you are back on campus. Local newspapers have reported many times
of Norwich students as the first to the scene of an accident, risking
their well-being to help others.
Corps students understand that if they have a family crisis at home a rook
buddy or a cadre member will make sure they get home to deal with
it. And in many cases civilian students share a similar bond. Norwich's
secret weapon is that it teaches its students how to deal with the
unpleasantness of life, how to take care of each other.
Sometimes it takes a mistake to reaffirm this; sometimes individuals
do not understand the lesson. This shouldn't stop others from learning.
The typical and overwhelming numbers of Norwich students understand
what it means to be a good person and to help a neighbor or friend.
They understand how to be productive members of a society. We spend
a great deal of time speaking about courage and honor; we spend
even more arguing about temperance, but not much time is given to
explaining wisdom, and how to reach it. No matter what has happened
in the past, Norwich remains a place of education. Her students
remain dedicated to the discovery of the correct path, and it is
the responsibility of everyone to help teach and protect this ideal
of finding their own right way.
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Welcome back, to all of our returning students, and welcome aboard,
to all of our new students. We are off to a great new academic year
with record numbers of returning upperclassmen and the largest Rook
class, with 425 Rooks, in over twenty years. We have also added
an equally impressive 238 civilian freshmen, and together these
students represent probably the largest total freshman class in
the 184 year history of Norwich. The Class of 2007 is a strong and
dynamic group, and their arrival has absolutely filled all of our
bed capacity at Norwich.
I want to commend everyone that was involved with Homecoming for
a job well done. The campus sparkled, and our alums could not believe
the size of our entire Corps of Cadets, which now numbers over 1060.
It was great to have them all back and to see them present an impressive
$1.9M in gifts to our University to support our faculty, staff and
student body. Without them, we would all be struggling, and we would
not have the quality institution that we have today.
We have also just welcomed our parents and families back for Parents
and Family Weekend. The Rooks had their first opportunity to leave
campus in a meaningful way and tell their parents about what they
have accomplished in a short amount of time.
The breaking news, of course, last week was the recent release
of the U.S. News & World Report "America's Best
Colleges" edition, which has now placed Norwich University
in the top Tier II schools in the North. While I am not a big fan
of some of the ways that U.S. News & World Report claims
to rank academic institutions, there are a number of measures that
are very important to the life and health of a university.
The Board of Trustees has authorized me to go to the bond market
and borrow money for the complete renovation of Alumni Hall. This
is wonderful news for our students who will be living in that facility
in the years to come. The renovation project is scheduled for this
coming summer and will be completed by the time our students return
next fall. Just about four weeks ago, Moody's increased the University's
bond rating to Baa1, which means we do not to have to pay as much
in interest on money that we borrow because of our stronger credit
rating. This is good news for all of our students and also reduces
the price of this very substantial renovation project, which should
cost approximately $8.6M.
This is a noble mission that we are all involved with this year.
We are educating our students, helping to forge their character,
and helping them become the leaders the nation needs for the future.
I know that this is going to be a great year for Norwich and a great
year for all of our students, individually and collectively. We
started the academic year with a wonderful convocation. I encourage
all of you to put extra emphasis and focus on academic preparation
which will yield academic success. That means doing your assignments
completely and on time, and being prepared for every day.
Have a great year!
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