To: Faculty, Staff and Students
As we pause this holiday weekend to catch our breath after weeks of grappling with the global crisis, my gratitude for your creativity and commitment to the mission and core values of the university cannot be overstated.
From the outset, our faculty and staff have been determined to provide quality academic experiences and meaningful ancillary services to students. That required unprecedented innovation and extensive modifications in the ways universities have always operated.
But you moved mountains to get it done, and the students responded with remarkable adaptability. We owe them a deep debt of appreciation for their patience and understanding and their willingness to embrace this sea-change in university life.
After the initial shockwaves of addressing the pandemic, our students, faculty and staff have made adjustments to online and other alternative forms of teaching and learning, working remotely, teleconferencing and other means and methods of getting their jobs done.
As a result, we are in the process of planning a virtual commencement program for the May 8 date that graduation was scheduled and a traditional commencement program in the summer.
We continue to communicate with students who had pre-registered or planned to enroll in the summer or fall and to recruit other prospective students.
So we approach the holidays with much more stability and a greater vision and understanding of the future than we had just a few weeks ago.
To me, there seems to be a correlation between this Easter season and the worldwide calamity that has enveloped us. Easter is universally recognized as a time for hope, and there has not been a more urgent or desperate need for hope in our lifetime.
As Easter approaches, there have been assurances from medical authorities that illness and death is reaching a peak in our state and nation and that the leveling of the curve that has been such an elusive goal is becoming a reality.
I am thankful for that and for all of you who have been so supportive in this crisis.
Have a safe and blessed holiday.
Sincerely,
Chris Maggio, President
