Provost Welcome

Dear new Sixers,

What an exciting time it is for Sixth College! This is the year of our twentieth anniversary and what better place to celebrate than our still brand-new home at the North Torrey Pines Living Learning Neighborhood. Our neighborhood has been years in the making and now waits for you to exploit its myriad opportunities and bring it to its full glory. I look forward to a journey of discovery and growth for each of us and to the opportunity we will have to put our stamp on our college and our permanent home. There is freedom in being the earliest adventurers to explore an environment that promotes innovation and I invite you to stretch your imagination and help shape Sixth’s future. I am so excited to welcome our brand new Sixers and our wonderful returnees.

From its beginning when Sixth was a scrappy little college out in Pepper Canyon, Sixers have been proud of our ability to find new and unconventional ways of connecting with each other and our environment. Sixers make a habit of a culture of non-tradition, of an ability and willingness to find unusual paths in unusual times. We saw that during the pandemic, both in our residence halls and in the online community, between students, staff, and faculty. Now that we are back in-person, let us take the good of the past and the unexpectedness of the present and create our own exciting ventures. I can’t wait to see what we come up with when we put all this feistiness and good energy together!

The last few years have taught us some valuable lessons about ourselves. Most importantly, it has reinforced what we already knew, that we are capable of withstanding anything when we work with each other and FOR each other. It has highlighted the importance of compassion, understanding, and a steadfast adherence to principles that drive equity, inclusion, and an embrace of diversity. As we come into the new academic year with the pandemic not quite yet in the rearview mirror, with issues of equity and systemic racism, anti-Blackness and anti-Asian racism yet unresolved, we have before us both opportunity and responsibility. How we embrace both will greatly influence who we are as a college and a community. Whether through our African Black Diaspora Living Learning Community, our Multi-Cultural Living Learning Community, programming through our Student Affairs, Residence Life, Academic Advising, Student Council, Student Organizations, or our Culture Art and Technology core academic program, I invite each of you to be part of the conversation and part of the solution.

I share with you three things I am certain of and I appreciate your passion, patience and wisdom as we work together to make this year a spectacular one:

1. As always, our university, Sixth College staff, student interns and leaders, and faculty will work with a firm foundation in science, data, and an abundance of caution to give you the best possible orientation and college experience.
2. I know YOU will raise the bar in ways we can only dream of.
3. Sixth is all about community—first, foremost, and always.

Congratulations and good luck!

Provost Chill/Dr. C/Provost Chilukuri