A letter from President Ramage

Dear Parkland students, staff, and faculty:

The first day of a new semester being one of my favorite days (I choose to spend most of it in the College Center helping you get to and from class), I take this moment to heartily welcome you (or welcome you back) to Parkland College for fall 2012.

I hope our new campus signage is helping you navigate your way around the college much more easily, both inside and out. Although there is quite a bit of construction work on the east side of Parkland that you will need to avoid for now (pardon our dust), this will result in a beautiful new Student Services Center that will act as a welcoming front door to campus. Along with additional great spaces to meet, eat, and hang out, the center will house the admissions, financial aid, counseling/advising, career center, and similar offices you have come to depend on each day.

Speaking of new campus spaces, two brand new state-of-the-art facilities have opened at Parkland this fall to better serve student learning: our Applied Technology Center and our new Fitness Center. I invite you to check out two great new ways we are keeping up with today’s careers through technology and equipment upgrades.

Lastly, I encourage you to take advantage of special student life events happening this week and next. Our first-ever fall Welcome Convocation takes place on Thursday, August 23, at noon; we are looking forward to the ceremony, outdoor festivities, and information sharing surrounding this event, all designed to engage you in a variety of opportunities throughout the semester. Please attend all or part of the day. Additionally, our Office of Student Life is hoping to grant you a genial start to the semester by providing two weeks of motivational moments, free food, and music in the College Center. It’s all underway right now; enjoy it.

The mission of Parkland College is to engage the community in learning. I have long appreciated the excellence and dedication our faculty and staff put into fulfilling that mission for our students, each and every day. I’m sure you do, too.

Wishing you all the best this semester,

Tom Ramage

President