Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

This week, I participated in an important milestone achievement celebration on campus: completion of the first year for our freshmen. Yep, our freshman class celebrated the successful completion of their first year, and I must have spoken to two dozen of our students at the celebration. Well, the feelings were mixed. The first-year journey was easy for some and every bit as exciting as they had anticipated at the start of the year. In fact, many were melancholic that the end of the year was already here, and they were looking forward to their return in the fall. And, of course, the journey was not as linear for others, and I could sense the feelings of “are we done yet?” One of our rising sophomores told me, “Calculus was hard!” Another said, “I was a 4.0 student in high school, but physics was challenging here.” “Do you remember what I said and made you repeat after me during the convocation?” I asked.  “Oh yes,” she said, “Persistence, persistence, persistence.” I was impressed that she remembered.

You see, here at S&T, we hold a convocation at the start of the year and gather our incoming students to highlight what they can anticipate during their first year. For many of them, it is the first time they are away from home. Since they will be faced with rigorous academics, I highlight for them our equally rigorous support services, tutoring, advising, counseling and hundreds of clubs and community involvement opportunities. I also emphatically highlight the most important trait that they must develop to succeed and thrive: persistence! In fact, multiple times during the convocation, I make them repeat after me: persistence, persistence, persistence!

To our rising sophomores, I say, the marathon is over, summer break is almost here, and a year of college experience is under your belt. For your final victory lap, reflect on the challenges you faced and overcame; think of your achievements and the great feeling when you conquered a difficult topic. I hope your successes – as well as the thrill of the challenges – fuel you to look ahead and become even more confident about your second year. I remember how I felt after my freshman year at LSU, when the total of my successes and shortcomings made me feel that I was a college pro! I was not going to make the same mistakes. I knew the drill! I was going to choose my classes carefully and complete many of my homework assignments ahead of time so that I could follow lectures more closely and ask the right questions. I had learned that my professors could not “learn me” but could teach me, and that I was not going to confuse having seen a topic with actually knowing it! I was keeping my eyes on the graduation prize, but I was focused on the very next step and how I was going to manage my life during the fall term of my sophomore year.

John McKissick, one of the greatest football coaches of all time, was asked after his 576th win if he wanted to exchange his 500-win ring with one that said 600 wins. He graciously said, “All I want is one that says 577 — just one more game.” His total wins by the end of his career surpassed 600, and he earned them one win at a time.

So, to all our students who might feel overwhelmed, I say, don’t let a setback or two discourage you. Stay the course by not letting perfection become the enemy of progress. A setback or two in a semester – or two semesters – is a drop in the timescale of your professional career, and there will never be a better time to return to college than next year. Data suggests that a great majority of those who put off their return to college will face challenges and continue to delay their education.

In the end, I suggest a summer full of sleeping, relaxing, traveling and, of course, working, for many of us. I also ask that you take a moment to write to me about your summer and to offer suggestions to make the first-year experience a better one for our next cohort, or even how to make successive years better. I promise that I will respond to you, and that we will take your recommendations to heart.

May the next year in your college career be more exciting and memorable than the last, and may each year be more exciting and memorable as you continue forward.  

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu