Dear Saints:
Hello and welcome to the first day of the 2024-25 academic year! I am always struck by the sense of transition and excitement in the air at this time of year, as we move from the slower pace and warm weather of summer to the bustle of a full fall schedule of college life.
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Saints — freshmen, transfers, and teachouts, faculty and staff. We’re all one community, and we’re thrilled to have you join the Siena family!
Although our campus is quieter during the summer, there is still a lot of activity. In addition to faculty and students conducting academic research, and student athletes taking part in sports camps and training, we saw our campus continue to grow – an excellent sign of a healthy and thriving institution. Nobel Hall, the center of our expanding science complex, is rapidly evolving from a construction site into a landmark facility that will transform our campus. We remain on schedule to open our newest academic building in time for the spring semester.
A multi-phase project to renovate and upgrade the townhouse complex and residence halls has been moving ahead with interior and exterior improvements. Siena’s residence buildings serve as the home away from home for thousands of students each academic year, providing our Saints with a safe and supportive environment conducive to academic success and personal growth.
As we gather on campus to begin a new academic year, we note our many blessings: stability and potential for growth as an institution; the freedom to inquire, learn and grow in an academically rigorous yet supportive setting; and the sense that we are a united family where the individual can flourish while the group draws strength and support from its members.
Siena is founded on timeless and enduring Franciscan values that inform our daily life on campus: inclusivity, respectful person-centered dialogue, the pursuit of peace and justice through lifelong learning and innovation, and service to those whom society pushes to the margins — all as compassionate leaders. What happens in the classroom, the lab, the courtyard, and the residence hall is infused with the mission to prepare our students to be leaders who will help create a more just, peaceful, and humane world. We are all part of that mission.
I wish you all the best for a successful and fulfilling year ahead.
Peace and all good,
Chuck