Each September, as I reflect on the successes of the previous 12 months, I cannot help but look forward with anticipation to what we will achieve together in the coming academic year.

This year, we move forward with our FY2015-FY2017 strategic plan, "Embracing Transformation," which remains focused on four strategic, college-wide goals - Access, Success, Learning, and Progress. Our plan is shaped by the key outcomes of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Vision Project, including College Participation; College Completion; Student Learning; Workforce Alignment; Preparing Citizens; and Closing Achievement Gaps.

Among many anticipated highlights, we'll break ground on our science and technology building, which will feature the latest in innovation to prepare students in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

We'll also "saunter" into the first year of the MWCC Humanities Project, with campus and community activities focusing 19th century author, philosopher, naturalist, and abolitionist Henry David Thoreau and one of his most famous works, Walden: or Life in the Woods.

These events are aptly paired, as Thoreau considered himself as much a scientist as a poet, and his scientific observations and inquiries are still as relevant today as his philosophical gems.

And of course, Thoreau, the creator of the modern concept of civil disobedience, provides a perfect vehicle for examining the power and responsibility of the individual citizen in a healthy democracy, principles emphasized through experiential learning opportunities coordinated by our endowed Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement.

These initiatives exemplify our mission of providing new opportunities for our students and ensuring they receive a holistic educational experience in order to achieve their own personal and professional goals. 

To paraphrase a line from Thoreau's Walden, "In the long run, we only hit what we aim at."