Dear Southwestern University Students,
I have a few favorite times of the year: my son’s birthday, commencement, and, most particularly, the start of a new academic year. Helping students move on campus, meeting student resident assistants, and speaking with faculty about their plans fill me with joy and hope. The academic cycle of life and learning is renewed and continues. I grow a little nostalgic, remembering my shyness as a first-year student at Pepperdine University and how much it meant when I was invited to eat with new friends.
This fall semester, Southwestern University’s 180th year, promises to be different—and I’ll be a first-year along with many of you. I understand you have mixed feelings of anticipation about re-establishing community and “getting back into the world” after months of being separated from one another. Of course, there is also a sense of concern about whether everyone can adjust to and adhere to our new way of living during this COVID-19 pandemic.
The start of classes on September 7th represents the apogee of months and months of preparation by our incredible faculty, staff, and administrators to ensure our campus is safe and healthy for you. Everyone you see as you walk around campus cares about you and has spent hundreds of hours working on your behalf. Be generous and frequent with your thank-yous.
You chose Southwestern for an extraordinary education, and that is why we are all here. Let’s work together to make that happen at the highest level, just as we have done since 1840. The University has undertaken a very elaborate and thoughtful process to reconfigure our physical spaces and do all that we can to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Our operations planning has included a myriad of prevention strategies: testing, space planning, foot-traffic patterns, reimagined dining options, cleaning, signage, and adequate PPE and hand-sanitizer supplies. Honestly, the list is nearly endless.
To continue Southwestern’s high academic standards, our faculty have also been exhaustive in their preparation. They have participated in summer workshops on whiteboarding electronically, making videos, and leading asynchronous discussions. Faculty are ready to work with their students and get back to doing what they love: teaching.
Perhaps more so than ever before, we are dependent on each other for a successful semester. Therefore, we must all commit to adhering to our health protocols: wearing a mask in public, maintaining physical distancing (both on and off campus), washing our hands frequently, monitoring daily symptoms, and isolating if we feel ill. As we have already seen at other universities, it only takes a few people to disrupt everyone’s education.
So here are The Pirate Top 10 Suggestions for a Successful Fall Semester:
- Be safe.
- Take care of one another.
- Check in with yourself on the SU Daily Health Questionnaire.
- Refer to the Campus Health and Safety page on the University website to stay informed.
- Be adaptable and patient.
- Cleanliness is next to godliness (my father’s favorite saying).
- Asking for support and help is a sign of strength.
- Feedback is welcome. We are all learning here, and your ideas are welcome at questions@southwestern.edu.
- Stay involved, and conquer this new reality.
- Record your experiences about this time: create playlists, art, compositions, and photographs, and keep a journal. (I still have my journal when I was a first-year student, and I reread it every year.)
Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts as you make your preparations to start this most unusual new semester. I want to meet every one of you and hear your story. I begin by extending you a personal invitation to meet me at my home at the Turner–Fleming House on campus every Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m., starting on September 17, for a good physically distanced walk and baked goods I’ve prepared for us. Please check the President's webpage for
Walks with Laura updates.
I’ll end this letter with a favorite Mark Twain quotation, my scholarly interest: “It’s noble to be good, and it’s nobler to teach others to be good, and less trouble.”
See you soon,
