Welcome home to Midwestern State University. I am your new president, and I hope you are as thrilled as I am to join the MSU family. By the time you read this I should be settled into my office and ready to start an exciting new semester. My husband Randy Wadsworth and our cross-country-traveling dogs, Racer and Roxy, will also be out and about to see you all on campus.

This is such an exciting time at Midwestern State. You’ll notice there is a lot changing on campus – from the construction of a new residence hall and expanded food service options to new course offerings, and, as expected, many new students, staff and faculty. Change can bring about mixed emotions, and, like many of you, I am experiencing feelings of enthusiasm and trepidation as I step into this new role as your president. I hope that together we will be seeking the opportunities that change provides and building upon the strengths of an already thriving campus.

Students choose Midwestern State because they know they can learn here in a personal and meaningful way. The faculty will encourage you not only to listen and observe, but, more importantly, to engage. It is that engagement in your in classes, in organizations, and in campus life that will make these MSU years memorable and valuable. Certainly this individualized approach that faculty offers students is hard to come by at large and impersonal universities.

We are a COPLAC institution, that’s the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, an elite national group that Midwestern belongs to as the only member from Texas. Like our fellow COPLAC universities, we create opportunities for you to make lasting connections to your professors and to your fellow students. Those connections, whether with a mentor faculty member or a student working with you in class, will define your university experience. It is that intense student experience that we aim to create that will result in an outstanding learning environment for each of you.

I encourage you to take advantage of this personal approach to learning, and I look forward to getting to meet you on campus. When do we meet, let’s try to talk about your views concerning Midwestern State University. What are your ideas for this university as together we move forward? Together, we can embrace the changes of the new school year and build Midwestern State’s future.

Have a great semester, and go Mustangs.

Suzanne Shipley is President of Midwestern State University.