Welcome to the 2009-2010 academic year! We are happy to welcome new and continuing students, staff and faculty to the University. While we don't have official data yet, it appears that we have more new freshman, more new transfer students and more new master's students that last year. These significant increases are the outcome of our strategic recruitment, retention and great service efforts all across the University. I am proud and grateful for everyone's good work.

In addition to welcoming new students to the University, we welcomed alumni, emeriti faculty and friends of the Chicago Teachers College North and South to the Northeastern Illinois University community and campus with our first Welcome Home reunion on August 19. This homecoming reunion kicked off the official Chicago Teachers College Association affiliation with NEIU and the NEIU Alumni Association.

Many who attended the Welcome Home event are former teachers and school administrators who graduated in the 1940s, '50s and '60s from Chicago Teachers College, which eventually became Northeastern Illinois University. Their day at NEIU included a tour of the University aboard a trolley, a presentation of CTC archives and memorabilia in the library, the opportunity to get pictures taken for new NEIU ID cards, and time to make new friends and reacquaint old ones.

In addition to welcoming new students and newly affiliated alumni, we recently opened a new building for the College of Business and Management (COBM). The new building houses offices for COBM faculty, a computer lab, classrooms equipped with computers at each desk, a case study seminar room, Wi-Fi throughout the building, and a student-centered gathering area with seating for study and discussion. A new entrance on the north side of the building also serves as a new gateway to campus.

There are many more items to report. I will be giving the State of the University Address on Thursday, September 24 at 1:40 p.m. in the Auditorium. A reception will follow the State of the University address. Should time permit there will be a brief question and answer session in the Auditorium prior to the reception. I look forward to sharing more items with the University community at the address.