Dear students,
Welcome to the new academic year! Whether you are experiencing your first fall here in Hanover, studying away or on a leave term from campus, or settling back into familiar campus rhythms and routines, I imagine you feel a mix of excitement and uncertainty that are part of learning and personal growth. I encourage you to create a few intentional moments in these early days of term to pause, rest, and reset so you can show up with intention to each activity you’re pursuing.
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to our newest students and their families and supporters at A Dartmouth Welcome. I want to share with all of you some of what I shared with them. It can be easy to think of your Dartmouth experience in totality, but it’s really a series of intentional steps and connections that you choose and shape to make your own. With that in mind, I offer two challenges for this academic year.
First challenge: talk to your professors outside the classroom. You may be enrolled in a class with a faculty member for the first time, or taking a course with a professor you’ve studied with before—strike up a conversation, be curious, and share your thoughts. We have the opportunity to learn from one another through each interaction, formal or casual; it’s what makes our community so rich and vibrant.
Second challenge: try something new. Dartmouth is full of opportunities to learn. Take a class that's interesting to you, explore new research interests, or introduce yourself to a neighbor in class or in your residence halls. Join a program or activity through a student organization, your house community, a show, or an outdoor program at the greenest Ivy.
Most importantly, I’ll remind us all (myself included): You won’t always get it right. There are bound to be detours and maybe even wrong turns. Mistakes are part of learning; embrace them, don’t let them stop you from exploring.
On behalf of the faculty and staff of Arts and Sciences, I hope you have an inspiring fall term. And if you see me walking my dogs, Coconut and Goose, on campus, please come up and say hello!
Best,
Nina Pavcnik
Dean, School of Arts and Sciences