Over 1,200 attendees gathered on the Academic Mall to take in the total solar eclipse on April 8. Like many of you, I was in awe of the beauty of the eclipse as the cloudy conditions miraculously parted for our four minutes of totality. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to all who made the event such a memorable experience. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Bottorff and his students, Aramark, SUPD, and all the dogs that joined us.
Dr. David Ortiz will be joining Southwestern University staff on September 1 as the inaugural Vice President for Equity, Accountability, and Inclusive Excellence. His extensive background and experience is a strategic addition to our administration and his position contributes to the fulfillment of the University’s 5-year tactical plan. Dr. Ortiz will be responsible for providing leadership to advance Southwestern’s diversity goals and their connection to student success and retention.
Also joining us this fall is a new bookstore operator, Barnes & Noble. Southwestern will see tremendous benefits in partnering with America’s largest bookseller. Most notably, the transition to Barnes & Noble will bring a newly renovated storefront to the first floor of the McCombs Campus Center, a wider selection of Southwestern-branded merchandise, and enhanced opportunities for engagement through special events.
We are now under a guaranteed contract for all of our building projects with construction on the welcome center and two residence halls beginning this summer.
Southwestern’s Board of Trustees held their spring meeting last week. I am pleased to report the board unanimously approved the Southwestern Land Acknowledgement Statement. This Statement acknowledges that Southwestern University is located within the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Native peoples and commits to working toward building stronger relationships with Native communities. Many thanks to Dr. Ken Mello for his leadership on this initiative.
I was so impressed with the student achievements that were on full display during the 25th annual Research and Creative Works Symposium on Tuesday. It was a delight to see the posters, talks, art exhibits, performances, and panel discussions celebrating all of the hard work and commitment that goes into undergraduate research.
We are in the home stretch! I wish everyone a great end to the semester.
