Welcome Back

January 19, 2003

To the Rutgers student body:

Welcome to a new semester at Rutgers, my first full semester as your president. As a native of New Jersey and a person with a lifelong association with and love for Rutgers, I am deeply honored by the opportunity to lead our university. As we begin the first class meetings of 2003, I want you to know that I am committed to working with all the members of our academic community to build a great and secure future for our university.

You have my pledge that the Rutgers administration will be student focused and accessible to everyone. I have been meeting with student leaders from every campus and will continue to do so. I also look forward to meeting Rutgers students in person. To wish you well as you start the semester, I will be greeting students in the lower lounge area of the Rutgers Student Center and at Brower Commons on the first day of classes, Tuesday, January 21, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. It will be a pleasure for me to meet as many of you as possible, and I intend to schedule similar opportunities to meet students in Newark and Camden.

Together we begin both a new year and a new era, with many challenges and opportunities before us. I am confident that Rutgers has the talent, commitment, and the justly earned good will, both in New Jersey and beyond, to realize our potential as one of our nation's great state universities. It is a privilege for me to be your president at this exciting time, and I look forward to working with you.

Best wishes for a successful and enjoyable semester.

Sincerely yours,

Richard L. McCormick