"The maple wears a gayer scarf,

            The field a scarlet gown.

            Lest I should be old-fashioned,

            I'll put a trinket on."

Congratulations to Dr. Juli Parker for yet another successful grant application, this time for $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women! The grant will support expansion of educational programs and prevention efforts by the Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality - in collaboration with Student Affairs and other offices - against sexual assaults, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.

Have you met our Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Mark Preble? Please stop and say hello when you see him on campus. Last Friday we launched the national search for a Vice Chancellor for A&F with the assistance of the firm Greenwood & Associates. Thank you to all who serve on the Search Committee, ably co-chaired by Dean Angappa Gunasekaran of the Charlton College of Business and UMass Worcester Vice Chancellor for A&F Robert Jenal.

I urge you to read the report "Failure to Launch: Structural Shift and the New Lost Generation" published last September 30 by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce:  http://www9.georgetown.edu/failure to launch/.

The study found that transition to adulthood is delayed for young people today, with a decline in employment rates for young adults from 84% to 72% between 2000 and 2012. Members of the millennial generation are launching their careers later, with labor force participation of young adults plunging to its lowest point since 1972. The phenomenon of "cyclical downgrading" - caused by young people compromising with lower jobs rather than being unemployed - is known to cause a lasting impact, even up to 10-15 years later with reduced earnings and lack of job stability. Would you let me know your ideas about how UMass Dartmouth can help our students avoid being part of this lost generation?

An exciting event last week for me was dinner with Honors Student Council members Kiley Alpaugh (Psychology), Lauren LaBounty (Nursing), Ashley Thomas (Civil Engineering), Megan Merlo (Bioengineering), and Francis Ndicu (Biology/Premed). What a talented, engaged, and committed group of students they are. They shared with me their aspirations and plans for the future, and the positive impact of the Honors Program on their college experience. I am grateful to Honors Program Director, Prof. Avery Plaw, and Associate Director, Prof. Robin Robinson for continuing to mentor and inspire our Honors Program students.  I cannot wait to see what these students will achieve in their lives and careers!

I hope to see you at the Chancellor's Colloquium on Wednesday, October 9 at  

5 p.m. at Woodland Commons, featuring Professors Hillary Farber and  

Paul Calvert.

Have a great week, everyone!