New Student Reading Program

Introducing the inaugural New Student Reading Program!

A copy of Three Cups of Tea should have arrived at your home recently. We ask that you read this story of social entrepreneurship over the summer months. Be prepared to engage in lively discussion with faculty, staff and other students once you arrive on campus this fall! You will also meet author, David Oliver Relin, during the First-Year Orientation program.

Letter from the President

Congratulations on your decision to attend Babson College. I am writing about a brand new initiative - the inaugural New Student Reading Program - that will give you a taste of Babson College and what you can expect when you arrive on campus in August.

You undoubtedly chose Babson because it is a unique business college, with a blended curriculum that emphasizes both business and liberal arts. Our faculty prepare future business leaders and world citizens with exciting offerings in economics, statistics, art history, and poetry (to name just a few). We are especially proud of our distinctive culture - a pervasive entrepreneurial spirit which will encourage you to pursue your creative passions and ideas outside, as well as inside, the classroom.

With this in mind, I am enclosing a copy of Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson as a gift from Babson. This book tells the story of Greg Mortenson, a notable social entrepreneur, and will give you an introduction to the core values embodied within the Babson community. In many ways, it is an ideal selection for our New Student Reading Program because it is likely to inspire lively conversations. From day one on campus, your Babson College education will motivate you to engage with your fellow students and professors - asking questions, confronting challenges, and making and finding opportunities to seek change and take action. The New Student Reading Program will introduce you to many members of the community who will provide support during your intellectual and personal journey.

I hope that you will enjoy Three Cups of Tea, which will be a topic for discussion with faculty and peers in small groups during the First-Year Orientation program. You will also meet David Oliver Relin and have a chance to ask him questions about his experience and its impact on his life, as well as the lives of so many others.

I hope that the book will be a good vacation and/or beach companion! Enjoy it, and I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Leonard A. Schlesinger

President