Welcome Home?

They've got to be kidding -- "Welcome Home"??

A college campus should not be thought of as home. Is a fork called a spoon?

I think it is a nice gesture, but honestly there has got to be some other way to express a welcome than referring to the campus as home. We have students who have been thinking of this campus as "home" for entirely too long. We're a two year institution; some students might stay for three, maybe even four years, but not forever. It's not home.

We got a small handful of students who have been at this campus for five , six, eight years. I'm not talking about returning students who are working fulltime and raising a family. We have young people who just don't ever exit. If our goal is to make students successful, then we certainly don't want them to think of the campus as home.

There's got to be a better way to express a welcome -- like "Welcome to College" or "Welcome to the Campus" or . . . . or . . . . . or . . . . let's brainstorm. There's just got to be lots of ways to let students know that we are glad they have made this place their educational choice, but they shouldn't think of this place as home. Seems like a blurring of terms and definitions.

Classes are now $36 a unit. Two years ago they were $11 a unit. The longer they stay, the more costly for them. The "starting gate" is a great place, but the goal is the Finish Line. So as I welcome my students tomorrow, I'll encourage them not to get too comfortable, but to get finished.

Maybe it's just the heat or maybe I'm just crazy!
Good night from a hot Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol