2013 Summer Reading Program

About the Summer Reading Program

The Summer Reading Program is a collection of events surrounding a common theme to introduce you to the ULM learning community. Read the selected essays over the summer as your first university assignment and be prepared to discuss it in freshman English, University Seminar (UNIV 1001).

The program provides you with:

• Your first common intellectual experience
• An introduction to the university's academic life
• A sense of unity among students, faculty, staff and the community

 

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This I Believe

The University of Louisiana at Monroe welcomes new students to campus through the Summer Reading Program.

This year’s selection is a collection of essays from This I Believe, an international organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. Over 100,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, are archived on the NPR website, heard on public radio, chronicled through NPR’s books, and featured in weekly podcasts. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

The Assignment

New ULM students are expected to read the selected essays from the NPR This I Believe website http://thisibelieve.org and be prepared to discuss them in freshman English and University Seminar (UNIV 1001).

The list of 25 essays is required reading for the 2013 incoming freshman class. You may access these essays by going to the web address noted or by going to the NPR website and entering the number of the essay. You may choose to listen to the podcast instead of reading the selection.

Tolerance

“Finding Our Common Ground” #6752
Robin Mize – Takoma Park, Maryland

“An Invitation to Dialogue” #14142
Madhukar Rao – Fogelsville, Pennsylvania

“This I Believe” #30057
Sue – Honolulu, Hawaii

“Everyone Pees Their Pants Sometimes” #97435
Alex – Vadnais Heights, Minnesota

“One Person a Day” #7582
Courtney – Prescott, Arizona

Integrity

“Telling Kids the Whole Truth” #39780
Martha Leathe – Eliot, Maine

“I Believe in Frogs” #122308
Marie Celeste – Kigali, other Rwanda

“Dressing How I Want” #67805
Tristan – Briarcliff Manor, New York
 
“I believe in the power of No” #31151
Lovett – Tampa, Florida
 
“Many years spent in the hush
 of the Arizona desert…” #16739
Nora Laing – USA

Creativity

“Dance Is Life” #8447
Fred D’Aguiar – Blacksburg, Virginia

“Amazing Grace” #8515
Korinthia Klein – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 
“Doing Things My Own Way” #23041
Bela Fleck – Nashville, Tennessee
 
“The Making Of Poems” #21249
Gregory Orr – Charlottesville, Virginia
 
“Jazz Is the Sound of God Laughing” #16
Colleen Shaddox – Hamden, Connecticut

Responsibility

“Picnics and Responsibility” #26504
Laura – Santa Fe, New Mexico
 
“Accepting Responsibility for Our Actions” #5396
M. Margaret – Waconia, Minnesota
 
“Be Cool To The Pizza Delivery Dude” #23
Sarah Adams – Port Orchard, Washington
 
“Show Up and the Rest Will Come” #106490
Jane – Wakefield, Rhode Island
 
“A Dog’s Life” #16088
Fred Flaxman – Weaverville, North Carolina

Change

“The Serenity to Change the Things I Can” #39990
Mark Olmstead – Hollywood, CA
 
“Lessons from PB & J” #69492
Amanda – Syracuse, NY
 
“Education Can Change the World” #47614
Tristan – Seattle, WA

“How to Deal” #41558
Jennifer – Wichita, KS
 
“Just Me” #1196
Armanda – Charlotte, NC