The most rewarding activity of this past week was giving the Big Tech Welcome to our Freshmen Orientation students and their families.  This was my first official welcome of the student body as President. It was most gratifying to see a full house – for the third consecutive session.  The fourth and final session is also filling up quickly.  If all holds up, this will be another great freshman class.  We continue to attract outstanding students year after year and that is due to the dedication of our faculty and staff who work so hard to provide outstanding learning experiences for our students.  The Tech experience is known across the country to be a great value.  During Orientation, I was pleased to see many of our alumni who brought their children to continue family traditions.  Thank you for helping us grow the Tech Family. We had some excellent coverage of Orientation by the media.  KTVE was here to capture the event.  You can see their story at http://myarklamiss.com/fulltext?nxd_id=232042. Our Admissions team directed by Joan Edinger, Orientation staff directed by Andy Cline, and student orientation leaders do an outstanding job in making orientation informative, productive, and fun.  They bring a lot of energy to the events.  It is great to see the teamwork between Admissions, Student Affairs, University Foundation, and Academic Affairs in making everything come together. I had the opportunity to visit with Col. Andrew Gebara to discuss our Tech Barksdale program and the potential educational needs of the airmen and their families. It is an honor for Tech to be able to support these airmen who sacrifice much to serve our nation.  Our Air Force ROTC program has benefited by its proximity to Barksdale, and several senior officers have come to Ruston to speak to our students over the past year. We are still in the midst of finalizing our 2013-14 budget and also conducting the search for the Athletics Director.  Vice President Stan Napper and I have also been working with the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City to expand some partnership opportunities.  Finally, I should note the nice interview about my presidency conducted by KTVE.  I always appreciate the opportunity to spread the good news about Louisiana Tech. On a personal note, Kathy and I have been packing and storing boxes getting ready to move out of our house at the end of July.  We are not sure when the President’s home will be ready though.  In just 5 days, Bret and Christy will be bringing Christopher to Ruston.  The rest of our family will come up to visit.  We can’t wait for that.