Dear Undergrad Geographers:

 

Allow me to welcome you back to UT and the Department of Geography for the spring 2013 semester.  I hope your holidays were enjoyable and that your new year is off to safe and happy start.  Please also allow me to thank you for making my first semester as Dept. Head so fulfilling.  I got to meet and work with several of you this past fall and look forward to interacting with even more of you this spring.

 

I know that you are busy, so I won't be long.  Two issues to consider.

 

1. I have attached the Dept. of Geography's preliminary colloquium schedule for the spring semester.  Please know that you are invited to these talks (as well as the refreshments served before hand).  In particular, I would draw your attention to the first three of these talks, which will be candidates for our faculty position in Climatology/Physical Geography. We very much want to hear your impressions of these folks.  Adding a faculty member to the Department is a major decision and the more feedback the better.  Your opinion matters and we need it--thanks.  If you have an opinion about one or more of the job applicants, please feel free to share it with me or Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer, who is chairing the search process. I have copied him to this email.

 

2. You will also note that there are a number of dates in which a colloquium is not being held.  My hope is that Drs. Kalfasky and Inwood and I can use one of those slots to host a meeting with undergraduates.  Food would be served and we would continue talking with you informally about the needs of the Department, your professional goals, and your ideas about the direction of UT Geography.  This effort is part of broader assessment of the undergraduate program and what we can do to improve as well as giving me more opportunities to meet each of you.  Dr. Kalafsky will be in touch with you soon about the date of that social event.   

 

Finally, my door is always open to you.  Feel free to drop in and introduce yourself.

 

Best wishes,

DA