One Year On

I hope that this missive finds each and every one of you both healthy and happy. It has certainly been an incredibly trying year. Having just passed the one-year anniversary of the cessation of most face-to-face instruction at the university, I can honestly say that I could never have imagined that we would all still be working and teaching remotely one year later. The pandemic, of course, has been very challenging for all of us. Many of us have grappled with COVID or have watched friends and loved ones battle the disease. Others of us have lost loved ones, such our own beloved Bernie Klein (former Chancellor and Professor Emeritus of Political Science), to this scourge. More still, including many of our students and their families, have experienced job loss and financial difficulties. Technology needs, spotty internet connectivity, and access to faculty and other campus supports challenged many more. And then there is the mental anguish, isolation, and loneliness that have become the norms for so many of us and that have inflicted much anguish and despair upon our community. There is absolutely no doubt that we have all undergone a (hopefully) once in a century trial by fire. In spite of all of that, however, I have witnessed and experienced so many incredible things over the course of our pandemic year. I’ve been inspired by the fortitude of the CASL faculty and staff and of our students. They have all dug deeply and have given every day their all, refusing to buckle in spite of the many, many, challenges thrown their way. Faculty came together to assist each other as they transitioned to remote learning, to step in when their colleagues became ill, and to continue the work of the college and the advance of our strategic plan all without missing a beat. Staff, in spite of the sudden shift to remote work, kept the university’s day-to-day operations running seamlessly and continued to support both faculty and students without any diminishment of service. Our students....well what can I say about them? We’ve long known that UM-Dearborn students possess incredible amounts of grit, determination, and fortitude; it is their calling card, it is drives them to succeed. The pandemic revealed this trait all the more as they dug in, adapted to new course delivery modes, found innovative ways to keep connected with each other and continued their research and university and community service. Many of our students, faculty, and staff did all of this while caring for/educating their children and siblings or while caring for ill relatives. I cannot begin to say how inspiring they all are. As I write this, the COVID infection rate is falling, and the number of vaccines administered here in Michigan is climbing by the day. In response to the improving situation, the university is planning for a fall semester that will look much more like things used to look prior to the pandemic (though things will never be exactly as they were). I remain hopeful that the worst of the pandemic is behind us and that we will soon be able to gather as a community again on our campus and to bask in the presence of one another. I, for one, cannot wait! In the meantime, if you happen to know any UM-Dearborn students, faculty, or staff please take a moment to thank them for a job well done and for keeping CASL moving forward! Stay safe! We are almost there!