A back to school message for ASU faculty, staff from the Arizona Board of Regents

Editor's note: The following is a message from Arizona Board of Regents President Eileen I. Klein.

Dear Arizona State University Faculty and Staff:

On behalf of the Arizona Board of Regents, we welcome our dedicated and talented Arizona State University faculty and staff to the 2014-15 academic year.

Our hope is that everyone enjoyed a summer of learning, discovery – and a little bit of rest – so that we are energized to welcome back our returning students, as well as the incoming Class of 2018.

Thank each and every one of you for your commitment to our world-class public university system. Your hard work contributes greatly to the vibrancy of our higher-education environment and supports the vision of President Michael Crow to achieve the board’s 2020 higher-education objectives, which include increasing bachelor’s degrees by 50 percent, doubling our research activity and making a positive impact on our state.

The Arizona Board of Regents is committed to supporting our university enterprise and to pushing for innovations to make it better, from cutting-edge classrooms and research facilities to improved infrastructure and equipment to support them.

At the heart of this commitment is the “human capital” – you! We attract the best teaching talent, researchers, administrators and staff and you are the key reasons we attract the best students who receive high-value degrees coveted by top employers.

At ASU, students can be assured that their degrees will pay dividends. The university is consistently ranked as a leader in higher education and for preparing highly qualified graduates.

As the governing body of our university system, the board recognizes that none of this can be achieved without the universities’ commitment to providing a safe environment where all students can succeed academically.

To that end, we want to thank everyone who was involved in the statewide student safety task force during the spring and summer. It was an amazing collaborative effort among leadership at our three universities, student groups, faculty, staff, law enforcement and the communities we serve. So many positive recommendations are already being put into effect.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with a short video that is a refreshing visual reminder of the great things we do every day as a university system to “transform Arizona.”

Welcome back!

Yours in the pursuit of knowledge,

Eileen I. Klein
President