<p>Dear NYU SPS community,</p> <p>Welcome to a new academic year at NYU SPS!</p> <p>For our new students and faculty, I’m so excited for you to join the NYU SPS community! Whether it’s your first semester, final year, or somewhere in between, I’m delighted we have students from near and far joining us in person and virtually. And of course, thank you to our faculty and administrators who contribute to the success of the school year round.&nbsp;</p> <p>It is a core pillar of our school to foster a vibrant and welcoming community that allows students, faculty, and staff to feel supported, connected, and inspired. American diplomat and newly named Distinguished University Scholar for NYU SPS, Richard Haass, spoke at the Undergraduate Orientation to discuss his book The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens. Dr. Haass emphasized that we should commit to our fellow citizens to counter the growing apathy, anger, and violence that threaten us all. I trust our community to continue to cultivate an environment of empathy, grace, and listening to work towards unity and understanding this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you to Catalina Mejía (Public Relations and Corporate Communication '23), Bhavana Singh (Management and Systems, '17), and Melanie Stavenow (Global Security, Conflict, and Cyber Crime '23) for speaking to graduate students on the importance of creating roots and building your community across NYU SPS. I encourage you to seek out opportunities to meet peers across diverse backgrounds and experiences to help your roots spread across our welcoming community and contribute to our multitude of perspectives across industries.</p> <p>Our alumni continue to thrive and flourish in the real-world, and I’m thrilled for our upcoming 90th Anniversary celebrations throughout the semester for more opportunities to showcase their success, including the first inductees to our NYU School of Professional Studies Alumni Hall of Fame. Their accomplishments are awe inspiring, and I look forward to celebrating them in the coming months—they are truly out of this world!</p> <p>I’d also like to take this moment to acknowledge the upcoming US Presidential election in November. In this election, 40.8 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote. This is the largest, most diverse generation of potential voters in history.&nbsp;NYU Votes&nbsp;aims to ensure that all eligible voters in the NYU community are able to cast their vote. We will be announcing programming, including Voter Registration Day and other ways for everyone to be civically engaged.</p> <p>I wish you all a great semester. In between the obligations of work, school, and family, I hope you are also able to find times for rest, reflection, and acknowledgement for all you’re accomplishing.</p> <p>Warmly,<br> Angie Kamath<br> <b style="font-size: 0.8125rem;">Follow the dean!<br> </b><a href="https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FSPSDeanKamath" target="_blank">X</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nyusps_dean/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>