Greetings from Illinois Institute of Technology! As you move forward with your college enrollment, I thought the following information might be helpful to you.

Great Books

Before coming to IIT this summer, I encourage you to read the book entitled, The Coming Economic Collapse: How you Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel, by Stephen Leeb and Glen Strathy. As an engineer myself, I personally believe that the world will face a devastating energy crisis unless we act quickly and put renewable energy sources in place. I am pleased that students like you, of all majors, will soon join us in solving these developing problems. In March 2008, IIT received a 5 million dollar gift to found the Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research, and to provide more opportunities for students and faculty to engage in creative research; go here for more information.

I'll bet that, after reading The Coming Economic Collapse, you will start to develop your own ideas about the kinds of sustainable energy-related IPRO projects that will benefit IIT, Chicago, our nation and the world in the future.

Academic Resource Center

This summer, the Academic Resource Center (the ARC), formerly located on the lower level of the Galvin Library, is moving to the Hermann Union Building (HUB). The new facility will be located in the north-west corner of the building, and will be available to students for studying, drop-in tutoring, and utilizing our campus' digital media resources.

Additionally, students will be able to check out state-of-the art laptops that house all university licensed software — all in a wireless environment. Plans are in the works for a new bagel and coffee shop on the south end of the HUB, which should prove to be another great study-spot for students.

Undergraduate Research

Many students come to IIT excited about the opportunity to become involved in undergraduate research. To help create more opportunities for undergraduate students and faculty to engage in research, this year we have established the Center for Undergraduate Research, led by Dr. Eric Brey, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Go here for more details.

Top 10 Tips for Succeeding in Your First Year at IIT

Over the past year, I have been doing a lot of thinking and research about what it takes to succeed at IIT and college in general. And, over the next several weeks, I will be sharing two tips per email from my top 10 list of things all students need to do to succeed in college. Here are the first two:

1. Go to class.

Going to class — and I mean not missing any except for emergency situations — is vital. At times lectures may seem tedious, or you may think that the textbook contains all the necessary information, but attending class is important in order to be aware of deadlines and make important connections with faculty and fellow students. Additionally, remember that the human mind works in mysterious ways, and that sometimes your classmates will think of questions and answers that you did not. By not being present each day, you miss out on these important opportunities for learning.

2. Talk to your professors.

I often hear from students that they are afraid at first to talk to their professors. During the first week or so of class, I encourage you to introduce yourself to your professors. A great way of doing this is by showing up for their office hours. Professors at IIT typically have office hours — that is, hours in which they are free and in their office — ranging from 4 to 10 hours per week. Office hours are a great opportunity for students to discuss problems they are having in class before the first test or other evaluation. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Be specific and assert yourself!

I look forward to sharing eight more tips with you this summer — and many more thereafter.

Sincerely,

Mike Gosz
gosz@iit.edu
Associate Provost
Undergraduate Affairs