Classes begin Sept. 3. Are you ready?

In mid-July, Dean Larry Benveniste sent faculty and staff an e-mail update titled “The Home Stretch.”

He wrote: “Last year was terrific by a number of measures, and faculty and staff had much to do with it. Our students’ interest and allegiance to our school is at an all-time high, and (believe it or not) they are looking forward to the new year. Also, our staff has continued their hard work over the summer, so our school will launch the new year on a great note.”

As we enter the home stretch, faculty and staff from all around the school are preparing for the beginning of the academic year in one month. Below, some of them share how they prepare tactically and mentally for the return of students.

After all, students are why we’re all here.

Verna Monson, Full-Time MBA Program

“How I prepare is this: I think about the students who are coming here from places in the world I've never been before—we have a student coming from Kenya this year, for example—and I think about how fascinating it would be to be in their shoes and how interesting it will be getting to know them. I remember from my own travels the excitement of being in a new culture, along with a bit of apprehension.

Next, I remember the kindness and sense of belonging I felt from a former professor one summer I studied in Spain. His name was Ricardo Visus and he treated us like family. That’s how I hope our international students—and all our students—feel when they look back on their MBA education at the Carlson School. I find that focusing on the experience of our new students gives me perspective on what’s important and what’s not, as I head into the busiest time of the year.”

To read more comments from staff, click here.

To see how programs will welcome students to the school, click here.