 Throughout the years I have spent on college campuses, as a student, a member of the faculty and an administrator, nothing surpasses the excitement and energy that usher in the start of a fall semester. Now, as the controlled chaos of move-ins subsides, and we catch our collective breath before classes begin, I want to take a moment to greet the returning members of our community and most importantly, offer the warmest of welcomes to Berkeley's new students. I get a vicarious thrill just thinking about all that awaits those of you for whom our university is new and unexplored territory. We look forward to getting to know you and wish you nothing but the very best on the road ahead. I hope you will come to cherish your membership in this extraordinary community just as I have. While this annual ritual plays out on every college campus, nowhere in my experience is the renewed sense of promise and purpose more tangible and true than here. And that I believe comes from two key attributes of Berkeley's DNA. First, there is our disdain for the status quo, for the notion that good enough is good enough, for the idea that what exists today can't be improved tomorrow. Join to that as our deep engagement with the world around us and the shared commitment we have to making it a better, more equitable place for all. These are the personality traits that help make Berkeley a universally uniquely animated by and prime to take on the salient challenges and opportunities of our day. Next week, in a message to campus, I will share a more detailed description of our priorities for the year ahead and the significant progress we've made in addressing the university's financial challenges. But for now, I want to tell you how much we look forward to engaging the community in a campus-wide conversation about the many initiatives and investments that I believe will usher in a new era of diversity, discovery, and excellence for our university. It's a wonderful time of year and a wonderful time to be at Berkeley. And to that I can only add, Go Bears!