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ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ President Leo M. Lambert opened the annual planning week by focusing on the goals of The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Commitment strategic plan. "At the dawn of a new decade and this new strategic plan, I ask you to continue to give serious thought to how your program, department, or division and each of you personally will take ownership of the idea of leading ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ to national prominence," Lambert said in addressing faculty and staff who were assembled in McCrary Theatre.

For freshmen, moving to campus on Friday will bring with it opportunities, close friendships and, yes, even a touch of anxiety. Read tips on making a smooth transition to college life from alumni who this week offered advice for new students on the university's Facebook fan page, and experience move-in days of years past in a photo gallery put together by the Office of University Relations and by ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's Archives & Special Collections.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ faculty and academic programs earned numerous top national honors in the 2011 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings released Aug. 17 by US News & World Report. In the magazine's "Focused on Their Undergrads" ranking, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ is named the #1 Southern University and among the top 86 colleges and universities in the nation "where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching," as measured in a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ leaders conferred degrees Saturday morning to students in the Master of Education program during a Commencement ceremony in Whitley Auditorium attended by faculty, staff, family and friends of the graduate students.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s 40th Sports Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, includes football player Lamar Adams, football player Whitney Bradham and men’s tennis player Robert Eskilsson.

More and more young adults are becoming aware of the importance of how they are seen by others online and the consequences this can have on their future. For the past several years, a new step in the traditional hiring process utilized by HR offices and even graduate and professional school admissions officers is the “Internet pre-screen.”