Hapy New Year's

I know I am a little late in wishing everyone a Happy New Year's. Oh well, better late than never. I want you all to know how beautiful it is in Fayetteville today. The weather man (or lady) has predicted that it will be in the 60's today. There is a bit of a breeze but the sun is shining and it should be a wonderful day. We have to enjoy these days when we get them at this time of year. On Monday it is expected to be much colder and it may even snow. Yes, 60 degrees today, two days later, snow. This is what happens in Northwest Arkansas. There is an old saying, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes, it will change." The good news is that the cold weather does not last long. It does not stay cold for all of winter. We will have a few cold, snowy days and then it will warm up and be nice for awhile. We generally do not get very much snow in Arkansas. Usually it will snow only a few days each winter. It always melts away within a day or two. It is very rare that we get enough snow to sled - maybe only one day each winter. When this happens, all of the kids bundle up, grab their sled, and head off to the nearest hill. There happens to be a very good sledding hill right on campus. This is where I take my kids - it is very popular.

Needless to say, no sledding today. In fact, I don't even need a jacket. I am about to head to my daughter's basketball game. This is what I do on Saturdays - at least through February. My daughter plays on the the 6th grade team for Greenland, Arkansas. Today we play Farmington and our Assistant Dean, Marion Dunagan's, daughter plays on the 5th grade team for Farmington. It'll be a good day for basketball.

Speaking of basketball, can I just brag on the Arkansas Razorbacks for just a minute. Last Tuesday, they beat 4th ranked, Oklahoma. They are so much fun to watch. For a very young team, they play amazing ball. It's shaping up to be a fantastic season. They play Texas on Tuesday and I am hoping for another spectacular win. Razorback sports are an important part of the University of Arkansas and the local culture. We have 42 national championships in track and field, not to mention football, basketball, baseball, softball, women's soccer, and women's gymnastics just to name a few. If you are a sports enthusiast, you can find exciting opportunities here and the University of Arkansas and the Walton MBA may be the perfect home for you.

The HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) building has great work out equipment, a pool, racketball courts, a climbing wall, and many classes (aerobics, yoga, etc.). They also have an outdoor recreation center where students can rent camping equipment and even canoes. Northwest Arkansas has exceptional camping and floating options.

MBA Orientation begins on Monday. I will talk more about this on my next post.