Returning faculty, as well as our newest instructors and professors, are being welcomed back to campus next week as the university gears up for fall 2005-06.

New tenure-track faculty are encouraged to attend a workshop intended to introduce them to campus life; the session starts at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the President's Conference Room.

The annual faculty meeting begins at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 24, in Derryberry Auditorium. President Bob Bell will give his annual address, new faculty will be introduced, and service pins distributed. Afterward, faculty are invited to a luncheon in the Multipurpose Room.

Colleges and departments also schedule their fall meetings during the week.

In the meantime, there's one last SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration) session for freshmen, as well as their parents, set for Monday-Tuesday, Aug. 22-23. The residence halls open for business on Thursday, Aug. 25, and advisement for students who haven't already registered gets under way Friday, Aug. 26.

And finally, the Tech Women's Club is hosting a welcome picnic for campus newcomers and club members, plus their guests, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 28, at Cane Creek Park.