Welcome back to campus. I hope you had a great summer.

If this is your first semester on campus, then…congratulations! Whether you are a new student, staff, or faculty member, this is a great time to be a part of the University of Arkansas. We are ambitiously moving ahead with a new capital campaign, and our sights are set on achieving top 50 public research university status by 2021.

Take a walk around campus, and you will see new, expanded, and modernized facilities everywhere you look. This represents a massive reinvestment in campus facilities that has exceeded $450 million in project costs since July 2011 and affected more than 40 buildings. Since 2008, campus enrollment has increased by more than 6,000 students and is expected to reach another record this fall. Quantity has not come at the expense of quality, however.  Indisputably, our student body has never been more academically accomplished or diverse.

Over the last five years we have raised nearly $500 million in private gift support, exceeding $100 million for the third consecutive year. And U.S. News & World Report has named us as one of the country’s nine up-and-coming public universities and the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the best universities in the country to work for.

In short, our campus is undergoing a major transformation that is drawing attention from across the country. Over the last few years, we have staked our claim to being the school of choice in Arkansas—where the best students in Arkansas, and increasingly from across the country, go to get an outstanding and affordable education. That’s because we’re putting students first. We have the highest graduation rates among public schools in the state, and we offer more degree programs and undergraduate research opportunities than anywhere else.

Whether this is your first or last semester on campus, whether you are a distinguished professor or an incoming freshman, you’re here at the right time, and we’re delighted you made it. Your decision to be here is a big part of what is making this university one of the best in the country. With your help, we’ll keep getting better and better, too.

Again, welcome back, and have a great year.

G. David Gearhart