August 15, 2018
Nothing is better than the excitement that fall brings, as our West Virginia University faculty, staff and students converge on campus for a new semester. To our new students, I am excited to get to know you — and I hope you will get to know as many of your fellow students as possible. Building your own sense of community is a key to success in college.
To our new faculty and staff, I am eager to get to know you, too, as you work to make our University a polar star for those we serve.
You can get to know me better through my answers to some serious and silly questions in my recent Gee Mail. But, when it comes to making friends on campus, a barrage of questions is rarely the best approach.
Instead, just be yourself.
Students, from joining student organizations to discovering local eateries, go where your interests take you and connect with people who share them. To our faculty and staff, be curious, engage with others and create partnerships across disciplines to make this University better.
Our campus is our home. Together we form a family — a family whose members support one another, protect one another and cheer one another on to ever-greater accomplishments.
So, my wishes for our academic year are simple: Enjoy yourself. Work smart. Celebrate. Learn from your mistakes.
As West Virginia University makes its mark on you, make your mark on our University. Look for opportunities to solve problems and advocate for improvements. You are a unique, irreplaceable part of our community. Letting your light shine will make all our lives brighter.
Let’s go.
E. Gordon Gee
President, West Virginia University