Fall is in the air in West Lafayette!  The sky is bright blue, the temperature is crisp, leaves are starting to turn to gold and red, and the sounds of the marching band practicing carry through the air in the afternoon.  It’s fun to see the students hurry on their way to class in Purdue sweatshirts and bright sweaters after the opening weeks of t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops.  Last week, I heard James Earl Jones speak on campus and six thousand other Purdue students and faculty enjoyed the comedy of Robin Williams in the Elliott Hall of Music.  The very next night, at Elliott, I listened to the Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Pharmacy viagra: all of this right at my doorstep — how lucky I am to be at Purdue!

The admissions office is humming these days too – as we welcome hundreds of prospective students and their parents for campus visits each week and process the thousands of applications that are pouring in for next year. I don’t get a chance to see all of our counseling staff every day, though, as they are busy traveling highways and airspace to visit high schools all over the country and meet thousands at hundreds of college fairs.  In fact, you may see them more than I have!  When they’re home, in addition to meeting with families and presenting at our programs, they’re in their offices already reading and evaluating applications.  Much is new for us this year as their reading is on their computer screens – we’re imaging all of the documents and information our applicants and their schools are sending us.  We’re excited about the instant retrieval of information on our desktops and going more “green” in our office!  We’re also excited about another change– as are the seniors and parents reading this blog – we’re waiting to release our first 2009 admissions decisions until December.  Purdue is a decision worth waiting for and we appreciate the patience of our early applicants, as we give every application a thorough and careful review and consider a greater proportion of the competitive applicant pool before making decisions.  We know that many of you will excitedly be checking your status on line beginning the night of December 5.

Last week I spent several days in the beautiful city of Seattle with over 5,500 colleagues from all over the world at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).  Secondary school counselors and college admissions staff join together for educational sessions, keynote speakers and other activities.  Highlights for me were a special pre-conference session with 100 top enrollment managers from all over the country, participating in several panels (including one covered by the higher education media:  http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/29/predict), and a terrific reception that all of the Big Ten admissions offices put on for the high school counselors attending the conference.   And on Wednesday we welcomed 60 guidance counselors from surrounding schools to campus to update them on Purdue programs and new admissions processes.  We so appreciate counselors’ dedication to students and know how challenging their jobs are.  They are our most valued colleagues.

Next time I’ll blog about financial planning for college – an important topic for every family, but particularly in light of national economics.  Let me hear from YOU –as prospective students, parents helping your student through the admissions process, and my high school counselor colleagues – what would you like to know from the Dean?

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