Dean's Message

Along with this edition of our Arts & Sciences Connections, I send my best wishes for the coming year.

Classes will begin next week after an extended break, and the campus of Texas Tech University will again assume its more customary bustling appearance. Though it may not be obvious to the casual observer who drives through our campus when classes are not in session, many of the important activities of the university community continue on unabated. Faculty use these times to focus on their scholarly and creative activity or put extra effort into the preparation of a course they will be teaching. Graduate students take advantage of the opportunity to make progress on their theses or dissertations, or continue work in their laboratories, and many faculty and students are off to conferences or other professional venues. And not to sound like I'm complaining, but administrators and staff carry on as usual--except for the week after Christmas. In closing, I would add that if email activity is any indicator of the pulse of the university, I can assure you that Texas Tech rarely sleeps, even over the holiday recess. I look forward to hearing from you.