Barnum Hall, officially facelifted

Barnum Hall is one of the older and more storied buildings on the Tufts campus. Donated to Tufts in the late 19th century by that Barnum, it’s been known as the Barnum Museum of Natural History, and more recently as a center for biology and associated lab space on campus. It also used to house the Greatest Showman’s famous elephant, Jumbo, hence the Tufts mascot.

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The Tufts campus readies for commencement

Commencement activities will take place at Tufts this weekend, and they’re on the radar either directly or indirectly for virtually all administrative corners of Fletcher. But even an out-of-the-loop, first-time visitor to Tufts this week would be able to tell that something’s afoot, with all the visible prep and last-minute campus beautification going on. To be fair, the window of decent weather in which to work prior to graduation is pretty small in this part of the country, and the several weeks of chill, rain, and gloom we’ve recently endured here hasn’t helped matters, but there’s nonetheless still something of a madcap quality to all the buzzing about and cosmetic improvements happening at the moment.

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Winter is coming…but not before autumn

The northeastern United States sometimes takes a lot of guff for its less than enviable weather. DC is a sweaty mess for 4-5 months in the warmer months, and NYC and Boston (perhaps the latter in particular) are known for their intense winters. We’ll occasionally encounter a prospective student who’s never been to this part of the country (or the world) before clearly laboring under the presumption that spending a year or two in these parts is akin to taking the black with the Night’s Watch. It’s true that the cold months can feel like a slog, but too much winter-related agita can obscure the pleasures of experiencing four distinct seasons, and for my money none rivals autumn.

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A busy summer, and fall, for Amanda and Caroline

While it may seem paradoxical at first glance, it’s quite common to find Fletcher students with deep interests in local and domestic public policy. Perhaps it’s all those “Think Globally, Act Locally” bumper stickers yielding dividends. I tend to think it’s more the result of the interdisciplinary mindset of our students, with which they can see the international dimensions of local policy, and vice versa (contextual intelligence, as Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context would characterize it).

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Local African-American history tour

Though Fletcher is tucked into three conveniently linked buildings, there’s a whole Tufts University campus outside our front door! No doubt there are Fletcher students who never feel a need to venture out. Others will want to use the gym, the main library, or the dining halls. Or maybe they want to hear a concert or visit a museum (one of my favorite quick trips on campus). There are plenty of reasons to explore beyond the walls of the Fletcher “complex.”

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