Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
May 8, 2008
Dear faculty, students, and staff,
As this academic year draws to a close, I would like to share with you an update on the University’s strategic positioning initiative, Transforming the University. Many people ask me about progress being made in our new strategic positioning efforts. I'm pleased to report that task force recommendations continue to be implemented. Here is an important list of major academic accomplishments during the past year. Next week, I will be meeting with the task force co-chairs at my May “Conversations with the Provost” to provide a more in-depth update on our progress.
Congratulations to our graduates, and best wishes for your future. I look forward to seeing the rest of you on campus in the fall. And, to all, I am reminded what Woodrow Wilson once said regarding the role of a college or university, as quoted in Anthony Kronman's new book, Education's End (p. 73, 2007), that it should be about "not so much learning as the spirit of learning." I hope you take time to experience summer in the Twin Cities; enjoy an outdoor concert at Sommerfest, attend a sesquicentennial event at one of our many historic sites, or relax in one of our many parks.
Sincerely,
Tom Sullivan
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