An Autumn Message from Dean Susan Dinan

I love crisp fall weather and the smell of leaves in the air.  I also like the shift into a more academically focused part of the calendar year.  I know that midterms are stressful, but most students I have spoken with feel that they did well on their assessments and most first-year students are now more convinced that they can be successful college students.  It is amazing what we can learn in a few months, and how much our worlds can change.

Dr. Musti and I just returned from the National Collegiate Honors Council conference that met in Atlanta, which we attended with some colleagues from the Pforzheimer Honors College in NYC.  The conference is always exciting because we meet with Honors deans, directors, advisors, and faculty from around the world and learn how we can improve our Honors College.  No two Honors colleges are the same, so I always realize there are new ways to think about the classes we teach and the community we create here at Pace. 

In April, we will attend the Northeast Regional Honors Council conference with a number of students who will present their thesis research.  NRHC is a very student-friendly conference that focuses on faculty-student research collaborations and celebrates the work of undergraduates. 

I look forward to hearing from students who studied abroad in the fall semester when they return to Pace, and reading essays written by students undertaking internships.  As you know, students can replace one Honors course with an intense internship experience if they complete their work satisfactorily and write an essay.  Every semester I learn about work that I knew little about.  I have read about sailing on a research ship studying whales and honing marketing skills in the music business.  Internships afford students valuable opportunities to learn about careers that may interest them for the future.  While it is exciting to hear from students who had a great experience and have a clearer sense of the job they want to pursue upon graduation, I think it is equally important when a student realizes that what they thought they wanted to do is actually not the work that leaves them feeling fulfilled or engaged.  Figuring out life is complicated, and rarely linear.  Internships can help students head in a direction that will reward them professionally and personally when they leave Pace. 

I am excited about the new format of Scholastica because it should allow us to post information in a timely manner and allow more people to author articles and share photos in the blog.

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