Dear Northwestern Students:
Welcome to the start of another school year at Northwestern. Whether you are an incoming freshman, a senior, or somewhere in between, a new school year offers opportunities for each of you.
We have spent the summer working to improve your campus. The Fine Arts Building has undergone a major renovation of the exterior of the building and work is ongoing on the inside. We continued residence hall improvements and worked to improve parking near the tennis courts. In addition, much work was done on cosmetic improvements to classrooms and offices.
We continue to work on converting to a new administrative software system. This is always an undertaking that presents many challenges, but when fully implemented will streamline processes for students and allow everyone to complete more tasks online.
To all students, I offered this same advice last year and will every year because of my belief in its importance:
Go to class. You are on your own now, and no one can force you to attend classes, but your odds of earning the grade you want increase significantly with regular class attendance.
Enroll in 15 credit hours per semester. It takes 120 hours to earn most degrees at Northwestern. If you want to graduate in four years, you need to take 15 hours in the fall and spring semesters, or additional hours in the summer. Every extra semester costs you more in living expenses and lost wages.
Be active in campus life. Your student life experience will be richer if you choose to become involved in clubs and organizations and Greek life, attend athletic and fine arts performances, and generally be involved in the many activities offered on campus and in our campus communities.
And finally, don’t let a little problem become a big problem. Any challenge you may encounter in the classroom, in the dorms, or with meeting the financial obligations of attending Northwestern, can usually be addressed if you will seek help immediately. Our goal is to help provide you an opportunity to earn a Northwestern degree.
As president and as an alumna, I encourage you to take pride in being a Ranger and wear our Red and Black proudly. Welcome back and Ride, Rangers, Ride!
Janet Cunningham, Ed.D.
President
