Newsletter Only

Greetings from the Parent Program at NSU! Hopefully October finds you and your student settled into college life. As you have been able to tell from our emails, things are going full steam ahead on the Tahlequah campus with lots of events and activities for all to do.

Some events that may be of interest to you include:

Among the many challenges a student may face while in college, living with another person may be one of them. It is important for roommates to discuss their expectations for their living arrangements early. By setting boundaries in the beginning of the year, it is less likely for smaller things will become bigger issues as the year goes on.

Your student is in Chico, without a car, and needs to get to the Sacramento airport, or Southern California, or the Bay Area - how are they going to get there? Transportation and Parking Services has a great Web page designed to connect you with some of the various methods of transportation into and out of the Chico area. The "More Options" Page has direct links and information for some of the more common methods of transportation. Amtrak train service on the Coast Starlight has direct routes from Seattle to Los Angeles on a regular basis. The North Valley Shuttle travels from Downtown Chico to the Sacramento Airport up to three times per day for the rate of $48 per person one-way (plus fuel surcharge). Students in Chico can pay $10 extra to be dropped off at their residence hall when returning to Chico.

The 2009 University of Miami football team opened its fall camp Saturday, August 8 with a two-hour session at Cobb Stadium. Donning helmets and shorts, the Hurricanes worked in warm conditions, with the heat index reaching into the mid-90's by the end of the practice.

The University of Miami Bookstore, located in the University Center on Stanford Drive, sells class textbooks, professional reference books, and leisure reading material. The bookstore provides a wide variety of academic supplies, residence hall accessories, University clothing, Nike Sideline apparel, and other spirit merchandise. The Web site, www.miami.edu/bookstores, provides electronic ordering and local pickup for student textbooks. Plus, there are more than 6,000 computer software packages available online (with the most popular available in the bookstore) with academic prices up to 85 percent off list price.

Committed to nurturing discovery and learning in a broad array of disciplines, the College of Arts and Sciences combines a strong academic foundation with varied learning opportunities for students, who work with faculty, study around the globe, and pursue their intellectual passions. This year, 32 new professors joined the College, bringing additional expertise and strength to its educational mission.

The Office of Academic Enhancement (OAE) promotes a diverse academic experience for all undergraduate students by providing programs and opportunities that meet the academic and supportive needs of the general population. An increased emphasis is placed on assisting those groups who have been historically underrepresented in higher education by developing effective retention efforts that address these students' unique academic and supportive needs. The OAE addresses the unique demands of the academic careers of highly talented undergraduate students, particularly in relation to their applications for national fellowship programs and graduate and/or professional degrees.

Please join us for New Student Convocation with George Will on Friday, August 21 from 9:00am to 10:00am in the BankUnited Center. (Doors open at 8:15am). Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will speaks on "Liberals, Conservatives and Hurricanes" for our 2009 New Student Convocation.  Will, columnist for The Washington Post and Newsweek essayist, is America's foremost political commentator and provides a witty, trenchant glimpse into the current American political scene.

During the new student orientation program, students will finalize their fall course schedules. On Friday, August 21 from 10:30 - 11:30am parents may meet with school and college deans to learn how students' course schedules are developed and how the school's academic advising works.

Students completed a course preference form over the summer that was used by the registrar to construct individual preliminary course schedules for the fall semester. These preliminary schedules reflect numerous factors, including students' interests, test scores, and departmental and University-wide curricular requirements.

It is with genuine pleasure that I welcome you and your student to Murray State University.