President Rebecca M. Bergman
Happy New Year, Gusties! I hope that you found time for both celebration and rejuvenation over winter break. For me, the highlight was spending time with family, including a visit to Pennsylvania to see my mother (who is turning 90 next week!).
Today, many members of our community are back on campus for January Term, while others are gaining valuable experience through a series of off-campus activities such as career explorations, research opportunities, and other scholarly and creative pursuits.
Classes offered this month include ART-244: Exploring in 3D & 4D: Form, Space, and Technology-Based Media; BIO-131: Minnesota Aquatic Stewardship; BIO-244: Astrobotany: Intersection of Plants and Space; CHE-108: Chemical Thermodynamics and Equilibrium; CLA-244: Greek & Roman Engineering and Technology; ENG-205: Global Queer Cinema; HES-125: Mind/Body Conditioning; NDL-310: Genealogy Research; POL-244: Environmental Justice; and T/D-210: Live Arts Technology – just to name a few!
January Term is a unique opportunity for our students because of its relatively brief length compared to semester-long classes, and because it allows students and faculty to immerse themselves in a topic (or topics) for which they already have a passion or are hoping to learn more about. The Gustavus mission statement calls for us to provide learning opportunities “within a general framework that is both interdisciplinary and international in perspective” and that “balance educational tradition with innovation.” January Term does this by offering courses that are innovative, experimental, experiential, or interdisciplinary along with the opportunity for on-or-off campus independent studies in a variety of fields.
For the next couple weeks, I will dig into January Term and how its unique experiential offerings intersect with our mission as a liberal arts college. In the meantime, I encourage you to lean in, immerse yourself in learning wherever you are, and stay safe and warm!
Welcome back, Gusties. Let’s make 2022 a great year on the hill!
Yours in community,
President Bergman