 The first day of classes is coming up soon for UPIKE students. But today was the first day for incoming freshmen to move in on campus. Today is move-in day at the University of Pikeville. We have a lot of first-year students who are making their way around campus, and that includes both undergraduate first-year students who are enrolled for the first time in college anywhere, a few transfer students, and then we have 64 optometry students who joined us today as well. We're located on the side of a mountain right in downtown Pikeville, Kentucky, and for folks who aren't familiar with where that is, that's in the far eastern tip of Kentucky and one of the most beautiful parts of the country that exists. We think that students have a great place to study here in a rural area that's really free from a lot of distractions that you would find in the big city, so our students have an opportunity to thrive and to connect with local folks and to really plug in and become part of the UPIKE family. We all have great connections here. Of the environment, the atmosphere that we try to build, our faculty have wonderful connections with the students, and for me personally, I like to spend time with as many students undergraduate and graduate as I possibly can to build those relationships so that in four years' time when they walk across that stage, I know who they are and a little bit about their story. Early on in our time here, they built the campus up on the hill and they put a staircase that brought students from the train depot, which used to be at the bottom of the hill, all the way to the top. Originally, that staircase had 99 stairs, so we call it the 99. When students come as first-year students, we bring them to the bottom of the 99. They'll climb those stairs all together. For students who struggle with that, we have students who help them because it's all about family. It's all about getting to the top of that hill together. And when we arrive on the top of the hill in the plaza, we give them a first-year pin that welcomes them to campus. We have alumni who are there who welcome them to be part of that family, our faculty are there, some of our staff are there. It's just a big party. But it's really only the first step because the goal isn't to enroll in college. The goal is to graduate from college. And so this spring, we will meet again on that plaza and we will lead them down the 99, out into the world. It's pretty exciting. It's nervous, too, because you don't know how to expect just going from senior to top and then back to a freshman at the bottom of the totem pole. It's a little nerve-wracking to figure out what you're going to do and how you're going to fit in with everybody already here. But I'm pretty excited. I'm happy to be a U-Pike Bear. August 23rd will be the last day to register for the fall semester as classes will begin on August 26th. You know, it's great to be a bear. It's great to be here at the University of Pikeville and we look forward to seeing you all around campus. Go Bears!