Welcome to the Class of 2012! I am pleased that you have made the personal commitment to join the Washington University family. You arrive on the Danforth Campus as part of an exceptionally talented group of freshmen, representing a wide range of experiences, intellectual interests and perspectives. We feel very fortunate that you will consider Washington University your home for the next four years. We are one of the world’s premier undergraduate research universities in one of America’s great and historic cities-St. Louis.

Students are at the heart of every great university. You will have the opportunity here to learn from world-class faculty who will challenge the way you think about complex problems. During your time at Washington University, you will also have the opportunity to engage in important and challenging dialogue and address key research questions with those same faculty. It is in this exchange of ideas between students and professors where the greatest learning occurs.

Your education at Washington University begins in our classrooms, studios and laboratories, but it will extend to the many and varied opportunities that the campus offers for your social and emotional development. Most of you will call the “South 40″ home during your first year. You will meet many new friends on your freshman floor, and you will also encounter people who are very different from you. This diversity is one of our greatest institutional strengths. I challenge each of you to be open to new ideas and different viewpoints and to learn from one another. This learning process is one of the great rewards of the residential college experience.

Each of you is beginning an important personal journey-it is up to you to chart your course and establish your own positive and lasting legacy. You will do this on the playing field-last year, Washington University athletes earned several individual and conference honors in addition to three NCAA Division III National Championships. You will participate in events surrounding the Vice Presidential Debate that will be held on our campus and watched by millions of people throughout the world on October 2nd. You will make an important difference in the lives of young children in St. Louis, through one-on-one tutoring or other service activities. You will be leaders in many of our outstanding student organizations-Thurtene, Dance Marathon, Diwali and Student Union, to name a few. These activities all represent an essential component of your education at Washington University.

The arrival of a new class is a significant and symbolic event for every great University. The Class of 2012 at Washington University brings hope and optimism to our University and this community. As a society, we face great challenges in areas such as energy, public health, urban education, and the economy. Overcoming these challenges can only be accomplished by the collective efforts of committed and thoughtful people like you-the skills, knowledge, and experience you will gain here at Washington University will help you to find personal success and expand the pool of talented individuals who will become the future leaders of this country.

Again, welcome to Washington University! You have my very best wishes for success in this community of learning and discovery.

Mark Wrighton is Chancellor of Washington University. He can be reached by e-mail at wrighton@wustl.edu.

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