Dear Members of the Class of 2009:

I am writing to welcome you to the inaugural year of Whitman College. When you left campus, Whitman was still hidden behind chain-link fencing and green tarpaulins; in the past few weeks it has revealed itself as a spectacular brand-new complex of buildings that includes seven dormitories. The dining hall is a beautiful open space that includes a café and two private dining rooms for special events. Other facilities in the college include a 65-seat theater, a dance practice room, a digital photography lab, and several private study rooms. You will find kitchens and laundry rooms in every dormitory. In addition, if you just feel like hanging out with friends, comfortable lounges are scattered throughout the college.

Much of what happens in the College will originate with, and be organized by, the College Council. This group of about a dozen students was appointed in the spring and is already active in developing virtually all aspects of College cultural, social and academic life, including intramurals, concerts, trips, speakers, and a variety of social events. The current Council Chair is your classmate, Chip McCorkle ’09. You will find a letter from the Council attached to the e-mail message that brought you this letter, and Council members will be on campus early to organize the first ever Whitman Dorm Olympics (save the date – September 14th). Early in the year we will hold elections for representatives to the Council from all four classes, including yours.

About forty Princeton faculty members are newly-affiliated Fellows at Whitman; they are encouraged to hold their classes in the college and invited to dine here, a great opportunity for you to interact with members of the faculty outside the classroom. Nine Resident Graduate Students, who hail from academic disciplines ranging from music to electrical engineering, will be living at Whitman. These graduate students will be involved in organizing a slate of intellectual and social activities; you’ll find that taking advantage of these activities is a great way to meet your fellow Whitmanites. Short biographies of both the Fellows and the Resident Graduate Students are available at Whitman’s web site.

Where do I fit in? As you know, each college Master is a member of the faculty. I am a Professor of Economics, and teach undergraduate courses in public finance and introductory microeconomics, as well as the occasional freshman seminar. I’m happy to report that I’ve already completed what may be a Master’s single most important job, viz., hiring a first-rate staff. Let me now take this opportunity to introduce them to you:

• Day-to-day management of the College and of academic advising at Whitman is under the direction of Rebecca Graves-Bayazitoglu, the Dean of Whitman College. While most of your academic advising will occur in your department, Dean Graves-Bayazitoglu and the Director of Studies (see below) will help you with course choice, consider requests for extensions or other accommodations, and deal with any non-routine academic issues that may arise.

• Cole M. Crittenden, the Director of Studies, works with the Dean on all aspects of academic advising and offers general guidance for students within the College. In addition, he oversees the organization of intellectual and academic programming. He is very involved in programming for Whitman upperclass students, so if you have any suggestions about how to best address the issues facing juniors and seniors, do let him know.

• Mentha Hynes-Wilson is Whitman’s Director of Student Life. She works closely with the College Council and the Residential College Advisers to help make Whitman a warm and supportive place, and provides assistance to students experiencing personal difficulty.

• Kristin Frasier is the College Administrator. She oversees the facilities and finances of the College. If you need to reserve a room or obtain some resources for project, Ms. Frasier will be able to help you or direct you to the person in the University who can.

• Sara Krause, our College Secretary, is the first person to greet you when you enter the college offices. If you’re not quite sure whom to see for a particular problem, Ms. Krause will be happy to help you out.

• Ruth Palmer, the office assistant, will be in charge of the reception desk most afternoons; like Ms. Krause, she is there to assist you in any way that she can.

I am excited at the prospect of working with the staff—and with you and your classmates—to create in Whitman College an environment that will allow all its residents to get the most out of their time at Princeton. Please be sure to check our website-- http://whitman.princeton.edu--from time to time. That’s the best way to keep up to date on the activities that are being planned for the coming academic year.

I look forward to meeting you soon. In the meantime, enjoy the last days of summer.




With best wishes,

Harvey S. Rosen