Well it is almost departure day and I am getting really excited. My mother (Becky LaCroix) and I are busy packing. This is a very unique type of trip and we have been laughing about all the seemingly excessive things we need to bring along.

We are both tying hard to be of the minimalist perspective – but having not ever participated in an archeological dig it is hard to know how much is to much and how much is to little.

Dr. Schuler has provided a very detailed list of needed items and we are sticking to it – rubber gloves and all! I have been telling friends that I’m really excited to see the academics of our group in their element at the dig site and throughout Israel.

Today, folks who have participated in pervious years have been passing emails reminiscing and encouraging us all. A true community surrounds this ongoing project and I am thrilled to join.

We are full of excitement. I will be posting another update ASAP, but may need a couple of days to get internet access.

Today is New Student Orientation session number 3 (3/5). If you are accepted to Concordia University for the fall semester, make sure that you RSVP at www.csp.edu/NSO.   

I have also been getting ready to travel to Israel! Lead by Dr. Mark Schuler – A team from CSP will depart on June 28 for a four-week season on the Northeast Church Project at the Hippos Excavations above the east shore of the Sea of Galilee. I will be traveling and working along with my mother for the first two weeks. This is the sixth year that CSP has sent a team to the archaeological excavation site in Israel. I still have a good amount of prep work to do – picking up tools, snacks, getting together travel documents and clothing. I should be organized by the end of this weekend. It will be business as usual in our admission office when I am away. 

Check out: http://virtualdig.org & http://hippos.archaeology.csp.edu.

Today is our second (out of five) NSO of the year. It has been really great to see our new students and their families on campus. I had a bunch of transfers attend yesterday. Today are a few less – most will be coming to the last three events.

***If any of you are accepted transfers who have not done your RSVP, make sure that you do it soon at www.csp.edu/NSO ***.

This evening I will be checking out the Picasso exhibit at the walker Art Center http://calendar.walkerart.org/canopy.wac?id=2735. I am really excited to see this much work in one place!

Thursday and Friday will be our first New Student Orientation (NSO) sessions for our fall undergraduate class. As always, I’m looking forward to seeing the new freshman and transfers on campus. Working with transfer students, this will be the fist time that I meet some of them in person. It has been really hot and muggy (but beautiful) in St. Paul – I hope that it cools down a little before our event. For now – it is lunch time. Ger (Ger Vue – another admission person at CSP) took me to a great Vietnamese restaurant for lunch yesterday and it is time for leftovers! The place is called Trieu Chau and is at 500 University in St. Paul.

Thanks for visiting! I am the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission and Transfer Coordinator at Concordia University, St. Paul. I will use this blog to highlight some of the admission processes, events and projects of the university. I am also fast becoming a travel junkie and will be posting pictures and thoughts about my adventures.