By Robert Naples

Welcome to UCLA. You are about to begin one of the most important, challenging and exciting periods of your entire life. During the next few years, the majority of you will be making a journey of change.

You will be moving out from the life of your teenage years, made up of two generally predictable structures – high school and home.

Through the extraordinary alchemy of your college years you’ll find challenges to your intellect, values, political views, experiential boundaries and virtually every aspect of your current worldview – and on into the wide open, unpredictable world of adulthood.

It is our job here at UCLA, as educators and advisers, to help you make that process of transformation in a way that is supportive, exhilarating and rich in opportunities for personal growth. And don’t forget, some of your greatest learning opportunities will come from one another, your fellow students and classmates with whom you will live and study.

Your primary responsibility as a student entering UCLA is to do the best you can in your academic program. Obviously, this will mean going to class, studying hard, working with your professors and using your superior intelligence to fully understand your coursework.

This is something each of you entering UCLA in 2005 is eminently well prepared to do. But in order to truly make the most of your college experience, you simply cannot allow your effort to rest there.

The years you spend with us at UCLA will offer the opportunity to become involved in an unmatched variety of activities, programs, campaigns and causes. This is a span of years unlike any other in your life, when you will have the time, space and personal latitude to explore the possibilities.

So take the plunge. Get involved in student leadership opportunities through student government or look into one of our leadership development programs.

Join one of our student organizations – there are over 700 of them. Lend a hand in a community service project.

Take a canoeing trip on the Colorado River, or gain a new athletic skill. Learn about internship opportunities. Give some thought to spending a year studying overseas.

Clearly, becoming involved outside the classroom takes time and energy, and we all understand that these kinds of activities should not compete with or detract from your academic performance. But combined correctly, they will enhance it.

With good management of time, the experiences you encounter and the people you will meet through these activities will serve to flesh out the world you find described in the classroom. They will help you learn more about yourself.

We all need to remember that, with the greater freedom and new opportunities you find in college, new responsibilities arrive – things like time management, handling academic challenges, balancing class time with other interests, and remembering to take care of yourself.

At times, these responsibilities can create new levels of stress for you.

We believe we have developed appropriate services to address this. Please do not hesitate to take advantage of these resources. We have tutorial programs, student health and psychological services, and many other specialized support options.

If you’re not sure about where to go, stop by my office, the office of the dean of students, for a referral. One of the most important responsibilities we have as educators is to help each of you enjoy a productive and positive experience at UCLA.

My final item of advice to you is to have fun. Go to athletic events – and think beyond football and basketball. Our men’s and women’s teams compete in over a dozen intercollegiate sports.

Work out at the John Wooden Center. Take recreation classes. Watch for concerts and student cultural shows.

And remember to give yourself time to enjoy the beauty of the campus and the special place we have here in Westwood.

As the newest members of the Bruin family, you are the most recent links in the splendid tradition of UCLA. You will join previous classmates spanning more than eight decades as the leaders of our city, our society and our world.

We will do everything possible to help you prepare to take on that responsibility. That is the process we are beginning together today.

Congratulations on your enrollment, and best wishes for academic and personal success.

Naples is the UCLA dean of students.