Welcome new NU students!

Today is the first day of classes for Arts and Science students, and an appropriate time to say hello to students -- or anyone else at Nipissing University -- who may be discovering this blog for the first time.

I created the blog because there is not enough time in the classroom to say all that might be said. Often I'm asked to make announcements in class, which I often forget to do. Even if I don't, it's not an effective way to transmit the important details. Thus, the blog is a place to put the most relevant announcements.

But far more important is the blog as repository of the interesting digression. University history courses shouldn't be hermetically sealed against intrusions from current reality. On the other hand, too many side comments about how the course material relates to the news or other scholarship can derail the course presentation.

When I see something really interesting yet not strictly relevant, I have a place to put it, where it will reach exactly the people who have taken the extra trouble to have a look at my most recent comments.

I have a hope that this side forum will add texture to my courses for some students and for the variety of outside readers who wander by. I know it adds an element of fun and creativity for me.