Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

I was in Tehran when I received my admission to LSU, over four decades ago, and I was over the moon! I have a vivid recollection that the acceptance letter served as a message of hope. I felt as though an entire new world was opening to me – the world of higher learning and living! Once on campus, in the new world, new culture and new language, I began to embrace learning. Naturally, as I learned, I began to question everything, and for over 40 years the answers to my questions have paved the way to a fulfilling life. My college education opened doors I did not know existed and transformed my exciting expectation of becoming an engineer into a relentless passion to become a contributor. I wanted to become like my rainmaker mentors. I wanted to help elevate others. In short, my college education has meant unparalleled growth.

You see, in exactly a month, we will welcome 1,400 new freshmen to S&T, and that observation drew the point for me that on Monday, Aug. 12, when we begin our celebrated orientation week, O-Week, our freshmen will begin a life-long experience of learning and meeting people from diverse backgrounds with national and international perspectives.

Our O-Week involves a variety of activities and events designed to help students become acclimated with their new campus home and get ready for a successful first year of college. Activities include a Party at the Puck, the ever-popular Project X Race Day, a special brunch for first-generation college students and our convocation. The exciting Project X Race Day pairs students with mentors who will help them design and build an RC race car, with the actual race on Friday, Aug. 16, to wrap up the activities and prepare for the Fall 2024 classes that will begin on Monday, Aug. 19. Throughout the week, there are opportunities to learn about the resources and services available as well as information about a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, student clubs and organizations on campus. We will welcome our transfer students and incoming Kummer Vanguard Scholars on Saturday, Aug. 17.

I realize that you may want to squeeze a few more days of summer relaxation into your schedule, but attending your O-Week orientation helps promote a sense of belonging. This important introduction to S&T is more in-depth than your campus tours. As your home for the next few years, getting to know your campus and your new friends will jumpstart a sense of belonging and provide an opportunity to meet the people who will be with you on your exciting college and, in many cases, life journey. You will learn about the 200-plus campus clubs, about volunteerism and civic engagement, about our thriving campus Greek Life, and about peer advisors. 

It is hard to overestimate the impact of a rigorous and rewarding college education - this deep feeder of our minds -- the ensuing lifelong friendships and the cachet invoked by a college degree. I recall the buzz of having successfully completed a challenging course or having made a new friend or having received an accolade for a good report submitted. Finishing the finals each term, especially if I felt that I had done ok, was like lifting off the ground in an airplane riding on a cushion of air.

To our incoming students, I say college enhanced my life by making it brighter, more pleasant and a more opportune place to help others. My world seemed unimaginable, without boundaries and with infinite opportunities. In brief, and finally, I know of no more accurate way to describe my college education than to say that it has meant unparalleled growth, long-enduring friendships and a heightened sense of awareness. And I have no doubt that your S&T education will do the same for you.

Looking forward to welcoming you soon.

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