Good morning everyone
and welcome to
the College of
Arts and Science
new student
event.
I'm Chris Makaroff,
Dean of
the College of
Arts and Science,
and it's my pleasure
to welcome
our newest
students
to the class
of 2024.
I wish we could
all be together
here on campus
as we
start another year
and you
begin your
Miami journey.
But starting remotely
helps keep
everyone safe
and healthy
and gives us
a better opportunity
of staying together
on campus
when you do
get here.
I thought that I
would start out
by telling you a
little bit about
the College of
Arts and Science
and what
I think
makes it
so special.
Then I'll
introduce you
to some of
our current students
to share their
Miami experiences
and show you
what awaits you
when you get
here to campus.
They are joining us
from our
academic buildings
and will
therefore,
be wearing
face coverings
consistent
with our
health guidelines.
Finally, before we
get started,
I would like
to recommend
those of you
who are
using Zoom,
set your view
to speaker view
in the
upper, right hand
corner
of the screen.
So now
let's get started.
The College of
Arts and Sciences
is the largest college
of Miami
and the heart
of our liberal arts
education,
that Miami
is so
well known for.
We have over
60 majors,
50 minors,
11 co-majors,
that allow you
to follow
your passions
and study
a wide range
of subjects from
American studies
to zoology,
and everything else
in between.
In all
your classes,
you will learn
in depth
subject matter,
develop a
wide range
of transferable skills
including
critical thinking
and problem-solving,
great
verbal and written
communication skills,
empathy
and cultural
understanding,
all the skills
that are
highly demanded
by employers.
In addition,
we offer
a wide range
of experimental
learning
opportunities
including,
undergraduate research
with faculty
mentors,
internships,
study away with alumni,
study abroad
opportunities.
In short,
you will be able
to study
what most interests you
while building
your tool box
of transferable skills
that will not only
prepare you
for your first job,
but also
sets you up for
long and successful
careers
and rewarding lives.
But enough
of me talking
because I know
I can
be kind of boring.
Now I'd like to
introduce you
to some of our
current students
who are
going to tell you
about what they think
makes Miami
and the College of
Arts and Science
special,
and give you a glimpse
of our
academic buildings
that are
eagerly awaiting
your arrival
here on campus.
First up is JC,
who's joining us
from Upham Hall.
Hi everybody,
my name is
JC Straiter
and I'm a Junior
at Miami
studying history.
I'm currently
in the
Upham Memorial
Library in
Upham Hall.
Upham is a building
on the academic quad
with the
famous
arch and lantern.
You might've
heard
the Miami legend
that says if
you kiss under
the lantern
at midnight,
you're destined
to get married
and become
a Miami Merger.
But Upham is also
home to many
different
academic departments,
including the
history department.
So I basically
live here.
This library is
my favorite room
because it's
super quiet
and right out
that window
you can see Bishop
which is
also known as
the poets corner.
So it's
very beautiful.
Another reason
I love this library
is because it's home
to all
of the
history honors theses
that have been done
in the program.
The
History Honors Program
is a program
for undergraduate
history majors, like me,
to do
18 months
of research
of our choice
with the help
of a
thesis advisor.
I started
my research
last January
and I'm really
enjoying
the process.
Not only is
the research process
amazing,
I love working
so closely
with faculty
and with my advisor.
To me,
that's the
best part
of my Miami
experience.
It's the faculty
who really
support you
and take the time
to get to know you
instead of
just being
another face
in the crowd.
Something I wish
I had known
going into my
freshman year
is to buy
all of your
school supplies
before you get here
because,
inevitably,
the Oxford
Walmart
is always
sold out
and Amazon Prime
can only do
so much
for you on
the first day
of class.
Thank you
so much to
Dean Makarov
for having me today
and freshmen
we'll see you
in a couple
of weeks.
Thanks, JC.
Next up we have
Danielle who's coming
to us
from Pearson hall,
which has
just recently been
remodeled
with a $65 million
renovation.
I believe Danielle
is in
one of our
research labs.
Good morning,
my name's Danielle
and I'm a senior
studying
Biology here,
as Dean Makarov
mentioned,
I am sitting in one
of the brand new
research labs.
My lab group was
lucky enough
to move
into this space
over the
summer.
So we're still
moving in
and it's a little bit
messy,
but very excited
to use this space.
As I mentioned,
I'm majoring
in Biology.
I have minors in
Spanish
and General Business,
and I also
have a
pre-medical studies
co-major.
One of the
big highlights
of my Miami experience
has been
participating in
undergraduate research
kind of similar
to what
JC mentioned,
but I work
in a biology
research lab.
I was fortunate
enough
to get involved
very early on
during my first year
at Miami.
I also was
very fortunate
to be awarded
a grant.
So what that's
allowed me to do
is basically
work independent
alongside
grad students
and I get to learn
new procedures
and with the help
of my
mentor, always.
But I've been able
to work pretty
independently as
well as participate
in the undergraduate
scholars
program that
allowed me to
receive a fellowship
and spend
an entire summer
in a research lab
here in Oxford.
And that was
a really unique
experience as well
because
while I've learned
great things
during the semester,
being able
to work full time
over the summer
allowed me
to learn
more complex
and longer
procedures that are
kind of hard
when you're
running back
and forth
in between classes.
Some other things
that I've
gotten involved in here
on campus
is through our
tutoring center.
There Rinella
Learning Center offers
tutoring for groups
of 1-3 students,
as well as
something
called supplemental
instruction.
That's when
you have
a group tutor
for your class.
So I'm a supplemental
instructor
for the honors
biology classes.
So hopefully I see
some of you
in my
online sessions
in the next couple
of weeks,
I'd love
to have you.
We just hold weekly
review sessions
and kind of go over
the material
and unique ways
and encourage you
to stay up to date
with the course.
And the last thing
that's
really impacted
me here at Miami
is the Mallory
Wilson Center.
So for those of you
who are
going into the
health care field,
whether it be
medical school,
you want to be a PA,
an NP, a dentist,
physical therapists,
anything like that,
the pre-med
co-major,
can really
help you out.
The Mallory Wilson
Center is an office
dedicated to helping
all students
make sure they're
on the right track.
You don't need
the co-major
if you don't want
to pick it up,
But what it
essentially
does is just make
sure that you
take all the classes
you need in order to
apply to those
pre health schools.
You can take
seminars
where they
bring in speakers
from those
professions.
You can have
one-on-one
appointments with
the advisers,
things like
resume reviews,
or they'll look at
your application
when you start
writing them.
So a lot of
great resources
that are all there
for students
and the Mallory Wilson
Center office
is also
in Pearson Hall.
So where you're going
to be taking
a lot of your
science classes.
You can also
visit that office
very easily.
And lastly,
one thing I wish
I would've known
before coming
to Miami,
it's how many
resources there
are for
undergraduate students,
specifically in
research because
that's where
I've been
impacted
the most.
But there are so
many resources
available in
the libraries,
and your
professors are
so excited
to help you.
They want you to come
to office hours
otherwise, they
just sit there
probably a little
bit bored.
So take advantage
of it,
look into it early
and if you don't
know the answer
to the question,
just ask
and somebody
will make sure you
get that answer.
Thank you. That was great.
And hopefully
your researches
is going well,
that you've got
everything
set up there.
So next up on our
list is Everett.
Everett is also
in Pearson Hall.
I believe
he's positioned
out in the
commons area,
which is a nice new
area where
students can gather
and do a lot of
collaborative
learning.
Everett, why don't you
tell us
where you're at
and what you're up to.
Yeah so like Dean
Makarov said,
I'm in the main lobby
of Pearson Hall.
Right behind me is the
web of life mural.
That is a really
nice mural
that has all
the life that
is studied and loved
in Pearson Hall and
researched and
everything.
In this area
and the atrium
to my right
is where I do
most of
my studying
and where I do most of
my relaxation
between classes
because it's
just a really
nice area.
As Dean Makarov
said,
Pearson Hall just got
renovated and it
really is a
really nice place
to just
sit and relax.
I definitely
recommend it
once you get here
to class.
If you just want
somewhere
to relax,
somewhere to chill out,
somewhere to eat lunch.
The main lobby
and the little
greenhouse
area in Pearson Hollow,
just the some of
the best places
you could be on.
My name's
Everett Delisio
I'm from Cleveland,
Ohio and I am a zoology
major,
a dual major
in Zoology
and Public Health.
I'm currently
a junior
and for a typical
day at Miami,
I'll normally
wake up
and it mostly
is a lot
of classes
and then I'll
normally will end
up just coming back
to Pearson Hall
and have
my experience
here and just
relaxing with friends
and stuff in.
There really are
a lot of
nice little places
to come sit here.
Along with being in
classes and stuff.
I also do research
and I also
am in the Miami
University marching band.
Which had been two of
my favorite experiences
on campus so far.
As the person had 
said earlier,
like research is
really a great place
to learn what you
want to do in life,
what your passions are,
what you like to do, and it
gives you a lot of
great experiences.
So pretty much everything
she said for that,
for independent study, you
can just say everything...
I could just say
everything again,
but I'll save your
time on that one and
I'll talk about
my experiences in
marching band.
Marching band I think is
a really great
example of how,
just because we have
the College of
Arts and Sciences,
you can, and at
Miami University,
you can expand into
multiple areas.
You, you don't just
have to stick to
one area and you can
really follow
your passions on
the College of Arts
and Sciences has
a lot of really great
stuff the offer.
But I think one thing
that I would have
liked to known is
that like you
don't only have to
do stuff that is related
to your major if
you are prealloc
or if you are zoology
or public health like me,
like you don't have
to just do that.
And I know this
is a college
of Arts and Sciences event.
And it's kinda weird
that I'm saying go out,
go out of the college.
But, like, it's
really is okay to
like expand and continue
the passions that you
might have found
in high school.
Or go and try and find
new passions that you
didn't really think about.
Thanks, Everett. I appreciate
that. That's very good.
So next up on our
list is Alison.
Alison is joining us
from Schideler Hall,
which houses
the Geography Department,
and the Department
of Geology and
Environmental
Earth Science.
So, Shideler was
renovated about
four years ago, I think.
And, one of
the really neat features of
Schideler is the
Geology Museum and
an interactive globe.
And I believe Alison is
set up pretty close
to the globe there.
Good
morning, everyone.
My name is 
Alison Warkowski.
I'd like to wish you
a warm welcome to Miami
to the class of 2024.
I am live from
the Geology Museum in
Shideler hall as the dean
has just told you all.
I will pan, hopefully it
doesn't hurt anyone's
eyes too much.
The Geology Museum
is fantastic.
I spend a lot of
time in Shideler Hall.
This is our Omni globe.
It's a great place.
The museum is
to pop in and out
between classes.
I do it frequently,
at least once a week.
To introduce myself
a little bit more.
I'm a Geography major.
I have a minor in History.
I'm earning
a certificate
in Geographic
Information Systems.
And I also am working
my way towards
a thematic sequence in
Geology with a
focus on Hydrology.
Most of my classes are
housed here and
Shideler Hall.
Pretty much all of
them at this point.
As the dean has
already mentioned,
Schideler was
renovated, I think
in 2016 that
was wrapped up.
Apart from the
Geology Museum,
there are many labs,
including the Geospatial
Analytics Center.
As a GIS student,
I spent a lot of
time in there.
A lot of my classes
are held in there.
I've also spent
a lot of late nights
working on projects
and working with data,
creating maps in
the Geospatial
Analytic Center.
Outside of Shideler Hall,
I'm involved in many
other clubs like
many of Miami students are.
My favorite Miami
experience so far has
probably been
studying abroad.
I studied abroad last
semester on Miami's
Luxembourg campus.
It was a fantastic
experience
and I earned
almost my entire
history minor there.
Other than studying abroad,
I really enjoyed
this past summer.
I had an internship with
the United States Army
Corps of Engineers.
I did a lot of GIS
work and collecting
data along the
Mississippi River
and creating maps 
with that data.
I credit my success in
that internship to all
of the things I've
learned here in
Shideler Hall.
I'd like to again, wish
a warm welcome and
back to you Dean Makaroff.
Thank you, Allison.
And so as you can see,
there's many different
opportunities
for you to get
involved in a wide range
of activities at Miami.
When I often talk with
parents and students,
I sort of
summarized Miami as
being the best
of both worlds.
We're big enough
that you're going
to find all the resources
that you would find in
a really large
research university.
But the number
one focus is on,
is on our undergraduates.
So thank you everyone
for sharing your thoughts.
And I just want
to emphasize
and hopefully you've seen
that everyone's
experiences and
paths through Miami
are different.
All right, everyone's
going to have
a different experience.
They're going to
come away with
different goals.
They're going to have
different moments that
they remember.
But I think the one
thing that is almost common
to almost everyone,
are the fond memories
of close personal
interactions
that they're going to
have with their faculty.
The students have
emphasized this.
And it's really easy to
get to know your faculty,
to engage with them,
to be involved in
research, to use
then this sounding boards
for jobs and connections.
And likewise, we've got
an amazing group of alumni.
So, Danielle was talking
about the Mallory
Wilson Center.
And so we have,
a phenomenal group
of alums who are in
the health professions
that sponsor
our students for doing
shadowing events.
So our students
oftentimes will
even go and live
with the family
of a Miami alum
who's
a doctor and spend
time shadowing
them through
the hospital
or in their
private practice.
And so all of the
things that you would
find at a big school
you're going to find here.
But it's much easier
to engage them.
And then the
other thing that
I'm sure that the
students would
all agree with me
on is the
wonderful friends,
the amazing friends
that they make at
Miami. From talking
with alums.
The relationships
that they've built,
they tend to
last a lifetime.
I've had the
good fortune to
visit several alumni events
when the alums
get together.
And we have alums who have
been out of Miami for
30-40 years and they
still oftentimes
vacation together.
So it's just an amazing,
it's an amazing
environment.
And so now what I
would like to do is
introduce you
to Ted Peters.
He's our Assistant Dean
and he's going to
tell you about some
of the advising resources
and other resources
that we have at
Miami that are
available to help you
be successful during
your time at Miami?
Ted, I'll turn it over to you.
Thank you,
Dean Makaroff.
I don't know how the
rest of you feel,
but listening to
the students,
it really makes
me want to go
back and be an
undergraduate again.
Even in these
uncertain times.
And just hearing
their stories
and what they're doing is,
is always inspiring to me.
My name is Ted Peters,
as Dean Makaroff said,
I'm the Assistant Dean and
my role in
the College of Arts
and Science is to,
oversee academic advising
for the division.
So just to make sure
that all of you know,
you are assigned a faculty
or advisor from the
very beginning.
So you should be able
to go onto myMiami
and see who your
faculty advisor is.
You just go to
the student tab and
it should be in
the right top hand
right corner of
your screen.
And it would give you
some information
about where
they're located and their
email address and
things like that.
One thing that we will
stress to students
repeatedly is please
reach out to your advisers,
they will reach
out to you, so
respond back when they do.
They're an
excellent resource.
They're there because they
want to work with you.
But on a larger scale,
if you're ever in
a situation where
you're not sure what to
do or where to go or to
whom you need to
speak about an issue.
The College of Arts
and Science has
a divisional academic
advising office,
and that's what
my office does.
So there are professional
advisors who will
work with any student
within the College
of Arts and Science.
And for those of you who
are University
Studies students,
you might be assigned
to one of these.
You would've spoken
to them during
summer orientation and
already knows who they are.
But my team are here
to help you out.
Just navigate
unusual situations,
or just help you out
when you're not
sure where to go.
Even if we're not
the office that can
provide the answers,
we will help you get
connected to those who can.
One thing that I want
to really stress is,
you know, you
finished an
unusual high-school
year for
many of you in the spring.
We're starting
off remotely,
but we're looking
forward to seeing you on
campus as soon
as possible. In
all of the potential
uncertainty of
this wonderful COVID
event that we're in.
Reach out when you
have questions,
reach out to your faculty,
reach out to your advisors,
reach out to the
advising office.
Because we can help
you when the problem
is happening.
It's much harder for us to
help as effectively.
When it's two months later.
We'll do our best, but
we're just not
as effective.
So I really ask that
all of you reach out if
you're 
encountering problems
or difficulty in any way.
The other thing, if you
need to reach us by email,
you can find us on
the website just
by Googling
or going to the Miami
homepage and typing
in College of Arts
and Science
advising office.
And that will take
you to our website.
And I think that's
all I have to say.
Dean Makaroff, so I'll pass
it back to you.
Thanks, Ted. 
I appreciate that.
Now what we're
going to do is go
to Buffy Stoll
for a quick plug
and overview
of some of
the Welcome Week events
that we've got going
on on campus to
help you transition
to Miami.
Good morning everybody.
As Dean Makaroff said,
we've got a series of
Welcome Weekend events and
this is kicking
us off today.
And for the next
three days for
the rest of today and
Saturday and Sunday.
As we look forward
to the start of
classes on Monday morning,
we've got over 50
events lined up
virtually to welcome you to
Miami and help you get
ready for the start
of the school year.
We'll continue those events
through the first
50 days of school.
So we'll have more events
waiting for those
of you who are
moving to campus during
the week of September 14th,
and you can find
everything on
MiamiOH.edu/WelcomeWeekend
Including
those events
that run all the way
through October 4th.
We hope that you'll
take advantage of
those through the
next several weeks.
And there's all kinds
of different ones,
including workshops
through this afternoon.
We have some
affinity spaces
so that students from
various identities and
backgrounds can
connect with
other communities and
support at the university.
And then in the evenings,
tonight and tomorrow,
we've got some online
entertainment,
a game show where
you can win
money, comedians,
musicians,
just the kinds of
events that you'll
find all throughout
the year.
We're just online for
the first five weeks,
and we hope that you'll
still engage with us.
Great. 
Thanks, Buffy.
And, and so before
I wrap things up,
I'd really like to,
to stress what
Ted was saying.
It's really, really
important that you meet
with your academic,
your faculty advisors,
your academic advisers in
the College of
Arts and Science
and career advisers.
One of the things
that we didn't
mention is that Miami has
a whole office that's
solely dedicated to two,
career development and
helping you match your
passions and your
degree with the
kinds of jobs that
you're interested
in having.
So definitely
take advantage
of the advising
that we provide.
Likewise, it was brought
up connect with
your faculty,
go to office hours,
ask questions, interact
with your faculty.
We're all here to help you.
For those parents
who are out there,
they'll remember Star Trek
and the Vulcan Mind Meld.
I always tell students
that while we have not yet
perfected the ability to
directly transfer knowledge
into your brains.
We are here to help you
master the concepts and
skills that are
going to set you
on a path to success.
But you're going
to have to work.
College is different
than high school, right?
And so when we say
that you need to
spend more time
outside of class,
than you do inside
a class studying.
We, we really mean it.
And it's especially
important for
all those
introductory classes.
Alright, and so
just because you
had AP or honors
or whatever it was
in high school,
that doesn't mean that
we're going to let your
coast in your classes.
We're going to
challenge you,
we're going to push you,
we're going to bring out the
best in you, we're going to be
here to help you
all along the way.
But, we're going to
expect you to carry
your weight too.
So just remember all
you have to do is
take advantage of the many
resources that we
provide to you.
So with that, I'd
like to wrap up
our session for
today by thanking
everyone for joining us.
Our Miami students
in particular.
Classes have not
started yet.
They're all in the
process of just
moving back into Oxford.
And so they took
time out of
their busy days
and schedules
to come and spend
a little bit of
time with us to share
their experiences.
And I just want to say that
I'm really looking
forward to
meeting each and
every one of you
over the course of
the next four years.
As you build your
experiences as part of
the College of
Arts and Science
and become part of
the Miami family.
As Dean,
my two most favorite
aspects of my job,
our welcoming
new students to
Miami and then participating
in graduation.
And so when we
have graduation,
we have about 1800 students
who graduate
in the spring.
And it turns out that
I shake hands with
about 900 of those students
as they walk
across the stage.
And while I
end up with a
sore hand at
the end of the night.
It's really gratifying
because I've
gotten to know many
of the students
who come across a stage.
And I'm really
looking forward to
getting to know you
when you get here on
campus and become part
of the Miami family.
So have a great day and
a wonderful weekend
and I hope to
see you around
campus when you get here.
Bye bye.
