Dear students, staff and faculty,

As political experts anticipated, the enormous turnout in the 2020 general election means many ballots are still being counted and the outcome of the presidential race has yet to be determined—and may not be settled for some time.

I know many members of our campus community are feeling anxious due to this uncertainty, emotion no doubt exacerbated by the numerous other challenges that we have experienced in 2020. Please remember that our counseling centers and employee resources are available to help you understand and manage stress you may be experiencing. A number of faculty and campus entities are hosting discussion groups over the next several weeks and I encourage you to join them as you are able.

I want you to know how proud I am of the resilience, compassion and dedication everyone on our campus has shown over the past eight months. We are a strong community and I want to reassure you that, independent of the outcomes of various elections, we will be united by our shared commitment to freedom of speech, academic inquiry, pursuit of knowledge, diversity and inclusion and innovation. The well-being of everyone on our campus matters.

You are part of an incredible academic community, one that has repeatedly risen to meet new challenges and embrace opportunities and to pull together in support of the collective good. Thank you for your partnership.

Ruth Watkins
President