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Dear Colleagues,

As our academic year comes to a close, I want to share my gratitude for all of the hard work of our faculty and staff during this challenging year. My heart was brimming with hope and joy as 2,200 graduates and their loved ones joined us in person last week to celebrate their hard-won accomplishments.

A spectacular set of Commencement events

Our community came together last weekend to give a special gift to our graduates. We held six successful in-person campus processions celebrating all undergraduate candidates from the Class of 2021, as well as candidates from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 Graduate School of Business, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and School of Engineering. Graduates, with two guests each, processed through our gorgeous campus under red and white balloon arches and took many photos along the way at designated stations near signature campus spaces. In the Mission Gardens, graduates walked across a stage in academic attire as their names were called and we played a traditional graduation march. The commencement celebrations were live-streamed so that graduates and loved ones around the world could watch. Faculty and deans also processed and greeted the students at the conclusion of each procession. Many of the attending faculty praised the personal connection with graduates and their families. Many graduates were delighted and impressed by their faculty’s presence.

I am so grateful for the marvelous teamwork from so many groups across campus who helped make our two-part commencement exercises a resounding success this past weekend: The Provost’s Office, Event Planning Office, Student Life, University Relations, Marketing and Communications (UMC), along with Campus Safety, Registrar’s Office and University Operations to name just a few. Special thanks go to our planning team who were creative, thoughtful and bold in pushing for what we could do despite State and County restrictions. A host of volunteer staff members helped to make each graduate feel welcomed and special. Whether you arrived at 5:00 a.m. or stayed until 9 p.m., we are so grateful for how you treated our graduates and their guests. 

The second part of Commencement was the for the undergraduate Class of 2021, which aired on Saturday. It was another stunningly beautiful, professional production from UMC, with help from Aldo Billingslea, Rob Scholla, S.J., Coach Jerry Smith and four senior soccer stars as well as a host of faculty and staff members who shared their good wishes and best advice with our graduates. Our valedictorian, Haley Howard ‘21, gave inspiring remarks about “radical hope.” If you did not view the event this weekend, I urge you to take 45 minutes to lift your spirit by watching it sometime this summer. And our in-person commencement can be . Thank you to all of you who helped us remember why we are in higher education and at ���Ĵ�ý and mark the end of a long, challenging academic year.

Student Athlete Receives Honda Award

Following on the tails of our NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, Women’s Soccer student athlete . The award recognizes “the best of the best” in academic excellence, leadership and community service. We couldn’t be more proud of Alex, who joins previous Bronco Honda Award winners Brandi Chastain (1990-91), Aly Wagner (2001-02), and Leslie Osborne (2004-05). Last week, we shared the wonderful news about the academic, service and leadership accomplishments of some of our most outstanding seniors. 

Juneteenth

As I mentioned in my previous update, June 19 is Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. I want to call your attention to the wonderful event that Margaret Russell and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion recently announced. The ���Ĵ�ý Listens & Learns series for this academic year will conclude with a special Juneteenth Concert of Jazz, Blues, Gospel and more, featuring the exquisite and incomparable music of Dr. Kim Nalley (vocals) and Tammy Hall (piano). The concert will be held on June 18, 12:00-1:00pm. to get access to the concert. Thanks to Professor Russell for her sustained, impactful work over three years to improve our community. We wish her the very best as she returns to serve our Law School.

Progress on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work

I want to acknowledge the efforts of so many dedicated community members who responded to our call to action to prioritize antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion this year. Through community and grassroots work, we have elevated the conversation to raise awareness and infuse DEI in our everyday work, our structures and systems, and our collective consciousness. While we still have much work ahead of us, I want to highlight some of the recent progress we have made this year on our DEI work. Under the leadership of the Staff Senate and their Anti-Racism Working Group, seven staff Employee Resource Groups have launched, with over 75 University members participating. The ERG’s are another example of grassroots efforts to move the needle for ���Ĵ�ý by creating an inclusive environment and building community. As the Staff Senate’s Employee Resource Groups webpage states, “These groups create a welcoming, affirming, and inclusive environment for all staff employees through networking, mentoring, advocacy, professional development, and social gatherings.” Thank you Staff Senate for making ERG’s a reality at ���Ĵ�ý. I am also grateful to our faculty, department chairs, deans and the Provost’s Office, who committed additional time and resources to bolstering DEI in faculty hiring, training, development, and teaching. These efforts are critical responses to our students who have expressed their desires to see more diversity reflected in their instructors and a more robust, inclusive curriculum. The Provost’s Office will provide more detailed DEI progress updates.

I also invite departments and offices across campus to share their own DEI campus updates and submit those updates to the Advancing Racial Justice Dashboard using this form: .

Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees, June 28th

As John M. Sobrato said in his Trustees meeting update, discussion of the presidential search and associated Bylaws were held in executive session at the June meeting. The Board will continue its discussion of whether to change the Bylaws to allow for a lay President, and campus will be updated this summer.

Staff Recognition Event

I want to reiterate my great thanks to all the staff whom we celebrated at the fun Staff Recognition event on Tuesday. At the end of a tough year, it was a treat to recognize all of our staff members and honor our award winners, those who have received degrees, and those who celebrated work anniversaries. So many of you gave so much this year to help us through a very turbulent and uncertain time. I am incredibly grateful for your dedication to our mission, our students and each other. Congratulations to one and all!

Sincerely,

Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President