On March 11, 2020, Chancellor Cable sent an email to campus announcing that due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, Spring Break would be extended a week, and once it ended classes would resume online. A week later, faculty and staff who were able to were encouraged to start working from home. At the time, we thought we might return to campus as normal in a few weeks.
That didn't happen.
One year later, we find ourselves marking a strange anniversary. We've faced struggles we never anticipated, dealt with illness and isolation, mourned the loss of family and friends, and the loss of our colleague, Officer James Hamilton.
But we've also learned how to meet challenges with creativity, resilience, and even joy. We've discovered we can create community even when we can't be together, and that we can teach and learn and grow even when we can't be in a classroom. We've confirmed what we already knew—that we are a thoughtful, caring community dedicated to helping one another and keeping each other safe. Whether it was an online class or a socially-distanced in-person event, we've worked together to keep going. We've made it work.
And so, on this strange one year anniversary we honor our resilience, remember those we've lost, and continue to look forward to the year ahead, whatever lies ahead.