Welcome to the start of the Fall 2024 semester! As we embark upon a new academic year together, I am filled with excitement about all the opportunities that lie ahead.
To our returning students, I hope your summer was a restful and rejuvenating one. To our new students, welcome to the Simmons community and what will be a transformative journey. And to our new and returning faculty and staff, thank you for your dedication and all that you do on behalf of this institution and for our students.
There is much to look forward to this year, starting with our incoming classes. After reviewing almost 5,000 applications, Simmons is delighted to welcome a diverse and accomplished class of 371 first-year undergraduate students from 29 states and nine countries — 43% of whom are first-generation and 52% who identify as BIPOC. I am also proud to welcome our incoming transfer and Dix Scholars, along with our 800 new graduate students who hail from 46 states and 14 countries.
The start of a new academic year is always one of my favorite moments in the annual cycle of our University. This is a time when our entire community comes together — learners, scholars, teachers, colleagues, and friends — to celebrate a new beginning and the many moments we have to learn and challenge ourselves in the classroom, our conversations, our co-curriculars, and our experiences.
This year is a particularly special one, as it marks the 125th anniversary of Simmons. We look forward to celebrating this milestone throughout the academic year, including during Founder’s Day. Simmons is also realizing our academic vision with the introduction of the six-school structure and accelerated pathways that will allow students to excel more quickly in their careers. Simmons is also proud to be one of just 25 colleges — and the only women-centered institution — to be recognized with the Carnegie Foundation’s Leadership for Public Purpose Classification, which recognizes institutions that are committed to advancing leadership in pursuit of the public good.
Those of you on campus will notice that progress continues on the Living and Learning Center, the final phase of our One Simmons project. One Simmons represents our vision for the future — a unified campus that supports our entire academic community through updated living, learning, and study spaces, a new library, and state-of-the-art science and lab facilities.
I often talk about the magic of Simmons, a place with a uniquely strong sense of purpose and meaning. As we begin this new academic year, I am deeply cognizant of the many ways the world outside of Simmons impacts our community. To ensure we are meeting this moment, we have developed new programs that will give students, faculty, and staff the chance to listen and learn, participate in community and conversation, and engage civically. Our University features a variety of diverse perspectives and I hope you will continue to show kindness and respect to each other.
The enthusiasm felt on campus this past week has been infectious. I hope you will continue to find joy in moments big and small — from your classes, activities, and work to the many relationships you build with friends, faculty, staff, and our alumni community. Please also stay tuned for Wednesday’s President’s Picnic, upcoming Community Read, athletics competitions, and many other events that will be taking place on campus and virtually. It’s time! Let’s do this!
