Dear Members of the Campus Community,

Every four years, one Wednesday in November begins a new chapter in the leadership of our nation. The 2016 election is over and the voters of the U.S. have chosen our next president. This campaign season has been challenging in its tone and rhetoric. It has stirred emotions and reminded all of us that we still have a lot of ground to cover together before we can live up to the ideals of being a united country. But that was also true in our nation’s first election and in every one that has followed.

So, on this Wednesday in 2016, we have a chance to take a breath, look around and remind ourselves that we are a community defined by how we treat one another and by our willingness to focus on how we move forward together. We don’t have to agree with each other to respect one another. We don’t have to be friends to work together toward a better future. We are in this together. And there is no place better suited to demonstrate what that looks like in practice than our university.

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor