The 2011-2012 academic year promises to be an exciting one. Here is a look at a few important stories to watch out for this year:
Selection of new administrators
As a number of high-ranking university administrators left at the end of last academic year, the university has several vacancies to fill. The selection of a new provost, associate provost, dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and executive director of the Office of Institutional Diversity, among others, should be in progress and announced shortly.
Africana Studies
An issue riddled with controversy, Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney created a task force last spring to examine ways to incorporate Africana studies into the Tufts curriculum. Stay tuned for more on Berger-Sweeney's final decision regarding the issue in September.
Monaco's debut
How will new University President Anthony Monaco fare? What will his first major decisions be? Will he be able to fill the very popular shoes of University President Emeritus Lawrence Bacow?
Fall Concert and Spring Fling
Last year, the annual fall hip-hop and rock concerts were combined into one event, while the number of acts at Spring Fling was cut from three to two. Who will headline this year's concerts? How many performers will Tufts host?
WinterFest
Bacow last semester put an end to the annual traditional Naked Quad Run, which will be replaced with WinterFest, an event featuring food, music, a snow machine and an ice sculpture competition, among other activities. Will this NQR replacement debut successfully and take root as a new Tufts tradition? Will NQR supporters run the forbidden frozen laps around the Res Quad despite the consequences?
Construction completion
The Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center is scheduled to near completion by fall 2012, but will construction proceed as planned or will external factors delay its progress?
