Ever wonder how President Monaco takes his tea (spoiler alert: he doesn’t like tea) or what it’s like to live in Gifford House? Before his first commencement here at Tufts on Sunday, check out this “Interview with President Monaco” and get a glimpse into the life of Tony Monaco and his first year at Tufts:

Note: Thought recently posted, this video was filmed earlier this year.

You may be on campus this Sunday for commencement or you may be cheering on your friends and family from afar. Either way, you can get an inside look at the day by following Tufts Commencement 2012 online. We’d love to have you join the conversation, so check out how you can take part:

• Twitter: We’ll be live tweeting from @TuftsLive, so follow along from early morning preparation to the procession, the awarding of honorary degrees, and the commencement address. Use the hashtag #Tufts2012 to let us know what you’re up to.
•  Web: Watch the live streamed ceremony at commencement.tufts.edu, where you will also find the @TuftsLive and #Tufts2012 feeds, so you’ll be sure to not miss a thing.
• Instagram: We love photos! If you’re on campus, snap some pictures and tag them #Tufts or #Tufts2012. We’ll be capturing some shots too, so be sure to check them out (username: TuftsUniversity)
• Facebook: We’ve been getting ready for commencement, and will have tons more photos to share just after the ceremony ends.
• Foursquare: Check into Tufts University Commencement 2012 on Foursquare, include a shout out about graduation, and you’ll earn the Hats Off Badge.

If you care about the environment and want to do graduate work in the subject area, look no further! Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), which emphasizes the importance of sustainability and environmental research and awareness through interdisciplinary initiatives, has two exciting opportunities for post-grads.

The TIE Graduate Fellows program allows Tufts graduate students of any discipline to add an environmental component to his or her research. From biology to works of literature, Tufts students have found unique ways to delve into the natural world. Take a look:

On a different note, TIE Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI) brings faculty, staff and graduates together for a week-long workshop every year to increase environmental literacy.  Here’s more about this year’s program and what it accomplished:

Be sure to like TIE on Facebook and to check out some cool photos!

The faculty and staff at the Cummings School for Veterinary Medicine have put together a send-off video to thank President Bacow for 10 years of support. The video highlights the role he has played in supporting countless Cummings School projects, including the construction of the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory and the Agnes Varis Campus Center.

Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine recently hosted a group of Red Sox Foundation Scholars. The scholars, academically gifted and economically challenged sixth-graders from Boston Public Schools, learned a bit about veterinary medicine, saw some of the workings of the farm, and met one very special cow. Here’s a video from their trip, showing some of the highlights.

Tufts President Lawrence Bacow was recently awarded the Under the Roof Leadership award for his work with the Somerville Homeless Coalition. This tribute video, presented by the Homeless Coalition, honors Bacow for his commitment to community service and active citizenship. As both an individual and the leader of the Tufts community, Bacow has taken a personal investment in getting involved in causes like the Homeless Coalition, and his initiative has inspired many others to do the same. Bacow explains the importance of the cause:

One way of measuring the justness of a society is [looking at] how it treats the most vulnerable among us…I think it’s important that we reach out, that we don’t turn a blind eye — that we try and engage, and that we try and help. And I am proud of what the university has been able to do to support the Homeless Coalition.”

Here’s the video honoring Bacow’s contribution:

Recently, select Tufts students and faculty participating in research projects were awarded top prizes in the Visualizing Research at Tufts competition. Contestants of the competition, which was divided into categories of “Illustration,” “Photography” and “Non-Interactive Media,” used artistic mediums to capture their research.

The awards ceremony for the competition will showcase winning submissions and take place from 2-4 pm on Friday, April 29 at 51 Winthrop Street on the Medford campus.

A video of winning entries can be viewed here.

Tufts graduate student Elizabeth Mahaffy (A’11) and recent alumni Joseph Cutrufo (A’10) created a video called “Greening the Curriculum.” The video, which was produced in partnership with Tufts Institute of the Environment for the Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute, features conversations with students on the Medford/Somerville and Boston campuses about integrating environmental issues into Tufts classes. Both Mahaffy and Cutrufo are of the Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning program at Tufts.

Here’s the video:

Greening the Curriculum from JD Cutrufo.

This excerpt from a video created by the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association features Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. In it, we learn what it takes to become a veterinarian.

The Community Health Advocates at Tufts (CHAT) is the first official student group in the Tufts Public Health and Professional Degree program. Made up of Tufts graduate students hailing from a variety of backgrounds, CHAT provides a forum for collaboration between future health care leaders from the Tufts community and advocates for causes such as health care policy and disease prevention.

In partnership with the Massachusetts Public Health Association, CHAT recently blogged about their support of the Act FRESH campaign policy agenda.