Well, the past week has been something of a blur to me. I suppose that any time you forget your own birthday, it must be a sign that you are pretty busy - and to use the words "pretty busy" is an understatement. I seriously didn't realize that yesterday was my birthday until I got an email from my sister. I think I forgot because there are so many exciting things happening at the University of New Haven, it is hard to keep up with all of them - this is a very good thing!!
Let's start with this past weekend's Open House for prospective students. Like our first in September, the program was very successful for the nearly 400 families who visited this past Sunday. I talked to numerous families who were extremely impressed with our academic programs and the quality of our current students. That's just the norm at UNH. For example, prospective families interested in our Fire Science program were able to see our new Arson Investigation labs - which are actually portable classrooms that can be moved outdoors, set on fire, investigated, and through a high tech system returned to normal. Really amazing!!
Then Monday we had a special program just for students interested in Sports Management. This was a much smaller program than the Open House with 20 prospective students and families attending. The highlight of this program was that everyone heard from sports agent Joe Linta, the founder of JL Sports, a firm that represents 35 NFL players and 6 coaches. Robert Romano, a prominent sports attorney also spoke to the families about opportunities that exist in the field. UNH's Sports Management program was one of the nation's first and continues to be a leader in this exciting field by providing prog rams like this and an amazing internship program where students can work for ESPN, Major League Baseball, the NY Mets, Boston Celtics, NY Knicks, MSG, USTA and more!
Finally, I spent most of today meeting with some of our faculty members. I do this periodically to make sure that the Admissions Office stays updated about new initiatives and programs. One of the topics discussed was sustainability and green technology. In a world that is constantly changing and striving to improve, it came as no surprise to me that our Tagliatela College of Engineering is going to add academic concentrations in sustainability. Some schools have green technology built in but the students don't even notice or know about it. What we want to do is educate and this focus will "team" green technology up with education. Who knows? The impact of this focus could lead to UNH students developing new products featuring environmentally friendly low power requirements and reduced maintenance. Another innovative academic program for the 21st century at UNH!
I turned 39 years old yesterday and it really does seem like yesterday that I was in college. Time flies - and this is why it is so important that students select the right college. To see if UNH is right for you, think about coming to our next Open House on Sunday, November 9th. Register at www.newhaven.edu/openhouse. See you next time!!
