It was good to reenter the Edmondson Formal Lounge in July after a year away from the Collins Living-Learning Center directorship. I was grateful to Carl Ipsen for stepping in as Interim Director during 2024-2025, when I had a sabbatical semester followed by a teaching term. That said, I missed the Living-Learning Center and was happy to be back to engage with our students, to work with the staff, and to enjoy the cadences of the Collins calendar.
July was quiet at Collins, but August was quickly abuzz with activity and energy as we prepared for Welcome Week, which featured an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland theme. As students returned, mainstays like the Welcome Week Book Discussion and the Activities Fair resumed. In September, we introduced a new event, an Afternoon at the Collins Living-Learning Center, held in conjunction with Indiana University’s Parent’s Weekend (and competing with a very boisterous football game against Illinois). As October begins, we look forward to Q-Projects, Trick or Treat with the Rise!, and the Halloween Dance.
The continuities at Collins are comforts and joys at a time of tumult and change on many scales. Like so many institutions within higher education, we do face our challenges, including a diminished number of Collins Seminars due to funding constrictions that are, themselves, the results of complex factors. Yet, the energy and creativity of our students, and the dedication and determination of our staff, remain strong. It’s a privilege to be back at Collins this year, and to take inspiration from its precious continuities.
The College of Arts