 Hi, I'm Janet Weiss, Dean of the Rackham Graduate School and I'm here to welcome you to a new academic year at the University of Michigan. You'll realize pretty quickly if this is your first year that everyone just uses the word Rackham as if we're only in building. While it is a beautiful building, if I do say so myself, Rackham is really shorthand at Michigan for the people who are here to help you make the most of your graduate experience. The Graduate School is full of people, people ready to help you with professional development, academic initiatives, mentoring, funding, health and wellness activities, any advice you may need. We even host the occasional social activity so that you can take time out to relax and meet others. From our Fall Welcome event to our reception out on the lawn after your graduation, the people at Rackham are here to support you every step of the way. We're excited that you're here and we're glad that you chose Michigan. We know that you can make it here. That's why you were admitted and I encourage you to really make the most of all that Michigan has to offer. I urge you to go beyond what's familiar, whether that's crossing the boundaries of your field, to explore the interdisciplinarity that's one of the hallmarks of a Michigan education, or to any of the hundreds of activities, clubs, sports and volunteer opportunities. I welcome you to the Graduate School and to the University of Michigan and to the next few years of your life as a student, researcher, teacher, artist and scholar. Don't be a passive consumer of your graduate experience. Gray up hold of it and make it work for you.