this centennial magazine calls attention to an unusual moment in our college’s history. As we embark on our second century, on July 1, 2006, we will officially become a new college, with a new and expanded mission that includes the work of the faculty and staff from social work, family social science, and General College. I have enjoyed working closely with my colleagues in these units to plan for the future and to help set up the new organization that will be handed off to a new dean and a new set of leaders.

As I get ready to step down and begin an administrative leave to prepare for my role as a faculty member in the Institute of Child Development next year, I feel a mixture of honor, good fortune, and pride at the opportunity to serve the college the past eight years as dean. It has been an honor to represent this talented college community, past and present, wherever I travel. We have enjoyed great success, and I am proud to have been a part of that recent legacy as we launch our next century. I am particularly proud of the 52 exceptional faculty we’ve hired, our successful $21 million capital campaign, the strong links we’ve created with state and national leadership organizations, and of course, the excellent academic programs and scholarship we continue to deliver, which assures our continuing national ranking as one of the top five public colleges of education in the country.

Several years ago, I began keeping a journal. I discovered it was best to write quickly, to let the thoughts of the day intrude on the page, to let myself get excited by an idea, an insight, or a plan, and to keep writing forward, not stopping to re-read past entries. To write this column, I cheated, however, went back, and skimmed some of the entries in the 17 notebooks now beginning to collect dust. I wanted to jog my memory about some of the highlights of my job over the past several years.

The entries reminded me that I went to a lot of places and met a lot of people I never would have imagined having the opportunity to meet or see: President George W. Bush at Eden Prairie High School for example, and the beautiful city of Bangkok, Thailand. I met many distinguished alumni, taught bright young students in freshman seminars, and worked hard with faculty and staff to maintain and improve the college’s performance and reputation.

In short, the very positive feelings I have about the public work and accomplishments of our college during the past eight years are matched by my equally positive sense of the personal opportunities and experiences that came along, often as part of the job. It has been a great “ride” and much more and different than I ever expected it to be.

—Steve Yussen, dean