It is exciting to bring almost 12,000 students back on campus.

And you had mentioned that the 12th Chancellor, I'm the first permanent female Chancellor as well.

So I'm very proud of that also.

But as we bring back students on campus, I think what we're really thinking about is how we can make sure that they feel welcomed on our campus.

Students are coming from all over North Carolina.

They're coming from all different states.

We want them to feel like this is a place that they belong, that there is something here for them.

Whether it be in their academic program, their out of classroom experiences that they have, we want to make sure that they are welcomed and that those experiences, that they have the right support that they need to be successful here.

I just was recently, this past week, I was at what we call student send-offs.

And these are freshmen students who are coming to Western and their parents are with them.

And I always remind the parents as well, we're here to help make sure that your students succeed.

And so we'll provide them the services and the academic resources that they need.

And so it's one of those kinds of places where we think of ourselves as a family and we really like to provide that family sense for them.

Are they going to get homesick when they first get there?

Absolutely they are.

And I always tell parents when they call home and they want to come home that first week and tell them, no, stay there, make friends, get out of your residence hall and do things.

And if they do that, they will fall in love with Cullowhee.

And as this class, this is the class of 2029, I tell them, see you in May of 2029 as you graduate four years from now.