October 13, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

This is Homecoming and Family Weekend for Colorado State; many additional activities are planned, with events today through Saturday that are welcoming to alumni, parents, and friends from outside of Fort Collins.  Reunions, festivals, award ceremonies, tailgating, football, music, the bonfire and fireworks – the campus comes alive to celebrate in a variety of ways. Personally, I’ll be running the Homecoming 5K on Saturday morning, sponsored by our fantastic Department of Health and Exercise Science – I hope you’ll join me!  (I’ll be easy to beat in the race…)

The modern, practical definition of “home” is where the wifi connects automatically … but seriously, there’s hardly a more compelling concept than that of “home.”  (Maybe “Mom,” but the list is certainly very short!) Many of us have made Fort Collins, the state of Colorado, and this campus our home; we’ve put down deep roots here, raised families here, built careers here, and retired here. Our students and their families largely spend a smaller fraction of their lives here, but we strive while they’re here to create a home for that period, as well: more than a place, more than buildings and landscapes, but a real community. We hope that our alumni look back on their time here with a real fondness, and that they will maintain the friendships that developed, return when possible to Fort Collins, give back and pay forward as they are able, and take full advantage of a lifelong relationship with Colorado State.

We also have a significant number of parents visiting this weekend – many of whom are themselves alumni, but many not – all very much now a part of our University family.  Some haven’t seen their students in a couple of months, maybe for some one of the longest periods away from their student in their lives.  Reuniting here, in their students’ new home, has a different character, combining excitement of reconnecting, reminders of earlier times, and mixing in a bit of relief from natural homesickness with the great promise of wings being spread in all sorts of new directions.

Home.  Where my thought’s escapin’, where my music’s playin’, what a touring “poet and a one-man band” longs for.  This is the week the longing ends here!  Please celebrate safely, have a wonderful time, be especially welcoming with an extra smile to our many guests, and Go Rams!

– Rick

P.S. Don’t forget next week’s Symposium for Inclusive Excellence, with a host of (virtual) presentations to attend that showcase our campus commitment to diversity and inclusion. There’s also an in-person screening by our ACT Film Festival Monday night and CSU Inspire (a Ted Talk-like session) in the LSC on Wednesday. It’s all open to everyone and includes keynote addresses Monday and Thursday and a full slate of programs throughout the week. Students, I urge you to participate and to think about what type of program you might want to contribute and help lead for next year’s symposium.

P.P.S. The baseball playoffs have started! Do you know which superhero has the most home runs?  (Batman!)

Rick Miranda

Professor of Mathematics and Interim President

Colorado State University