A New Academic Year at Northwestern
Dear Northwestern Students,
It is a uniquely exciting time at Northwestern as you embark on a new academic year. Across campuses and schools, new students have started arriving since last month, and the Class of 2030 and transfer undergraduate students just completed the Convocation this morning. A warm welcome back to all returning students too!
During Wildcat Welcome last Wednesday, I “marched through the Arch” for the first time, along with new undergrad Wildcats. And each day since July on my listening tour, I have gained deeper appreciation of the unique Purple we share: elite without being elitist, comprehensive without rigid silos and excellent yet still without limit to our potential.
In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed my summer conversation with Associated Student Government (ASG) leaders. During Fall Quarter, I look forward to getting together with many students, across many programs, schools and locations. Indeed, Northwestern offers one of the most comprehensive educational experiences among top universities in the country.
Since our founding days, Northwestern University has aspired to achieve “the highest order of excellence, as a complete university.” Complete, indeed, in the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, medicine, law, journalism, education, business, entrepreneurship and athletics.
Today, we remain as hopeful and ambitious as the University’s founders were 175 years ago. Generations before us have navigated numerous challenges and elevated the institution over and over again. In the coming months, I hope you will join the Northwestern 175 celebration activities as we reflect on the milestones achieved through the years and chart our paths toward the bicentennial.
Northwestern’s faculty and staff will continue to pursue the pinnacle of excellence in the discovery, dissemination and deployment of knowledge. And each of our more than 23,000 Northwestern undergraduate and graduate students helps define what this institution is and what it can be.
Our University is also a community with many traditions, from Founders’ Day for medical students to Dillo Day by Lake Michigan. We are exploring the potential for bringing back some other traditions too, such as “new student night at Six Flags,” the “Wildcat Dash” across Ryan Field, and theater/music trips to Chicago.
For students in Evanston, ASG leaders and University leadership are also considering a new tradition: “Wildcats Winter Week” will be picked by you as a week in February. Faculty will be encouraged (though not required) to not give tests or exams during the week, and the students encouraged (though not required) to unplug on Wednesday of that week (e.g., skip social media and AI apps for a day) and focus on human-to-human interactions.
In every season and each week, I hope you will take the time to attend an athletics event, a concert, an art exhibition, a seminar unrelated to your areas of study, and much more. Let’s together contribute to the vibrant intellectual culture and lively school spirit at our Northwestern.
With Purple Pride: Go ’Cats!