Last year at this time, it was a whole different feeling. I was on the verge of starting my new job as the distinguished visiting professor of history at Montclair State University. To say I was apprehensive would be a vast understatement...tortured dreams, night after night, of losing my way along a twisting path strung between countless grey buildings...standing in front of a roomful of freshmen, and forgetting my lesson plan...sitting in my office during office hours, and nobody wants to visit me...all alone...

But today, ahh, today -- as I polish, revise, and amplify the syllabi for my two courses, Intro to American History and American Society in the Twentieth Century (surprise content will not be revealed herewith, because who knows if my enrolled students at MSU might read this?) -- and refine reading lists, and play out ideal class discussion scenarios in my imagination -- I am filled with hope and anticipation.