Academic interest presentations have become a staple of Orientation Week activities. I did solo shows in 1999 and 2000. In 2001 and 2002, I was one of a panel of three. And this year, as many of you know, I was one of a panel of six faculty members, each of whom presented an aspect of a single big picture. If you are wondering about 1997 and 1998, it is my understanding that the student orientation leaders exercised their prerogative (at the time) to exclude academic programs. I was not pleased, but in 1998 I wrote a letter to the freshmen that was deemed worthy of circulating to them by Arts and Sciences Academic Advising.
What bothered me was that so many students had the sense that college was more or less a continuation of high school; they didn't know the most basic things about the change of aspirations. Some instructors appease that, creating the impression that a course conducted close to the high school level was a model for a good math course. That actually serves to make the students suffer when they get a serious sequel course. To me, a good math course is one where the students learn a lot (not just think they learned a lot) through reasonable exertion.
For a compilation of various material on academic orientation, click here. You will be presumed to know its content.