Good morning everyone. It is so good to be together again.
In Oz – as most all of you know - there was a man behind a curtain, controlling all those levers, knobs and flashing lights. “The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz” was unmasked to those that had come to him for help.
And so Oz was revealed to be:
…Just a man… behind a curtain.
Aggie family, our campus, like Oz, is also a place of wonder, of beauty and so many great and powerful things. And just like in that magical Land of Oz, the Wonderful World of A&T most assuredly depends on the 1,100 plus men and women behind the curtain.
We keep this campus functional, engaged, clean, safe, organized, active, proud, financially sound, connected and beautiful.
When parents bring their freshmen to A&T for the first time and see clean and orderly dormitories; nutritious and well-run dining halls; state-of-the art classrooms, laboratories, athletic facilities, libraries and the University Farm, they are seeing the results of your hard work.
When the public is enlightened with news of researchers whose work will remove allergens from peanuts, or prevent bridge collapses because of a sensor, it is you behind the curtain who have made the purchase order, designed the research poster, taken the photograph, forwarded the grant application, typed the necessary documents, and called the media to alert them to the great scholarship undertaken on this campus.
A&T’s convocations, coronations, installations, congregations, even Space Shuttle races for constellations, and all manner of celebrations, are possible because you are out there, behind the curtain.
You ready the buildings in darkness, you keep the grounds pristine during heat waves, you keep us connected and online, and you keep us safe for the rest of us to complete our duties.
We behind the curtain may not always be the face of A&T;
But like the Tin Man who so diligently fought to receive his vital organ, we are undoubtedly the heart of this institution.

Sharon Mitchell
Welcome to the new school year and the new semester.
Let us continue our hard work to keep this University a place of wonder and achievement.