To SRU Faculty and Staff,
Spring is a time when we get to attend events and enjoy our campus and members of our community in a unique way. The energy on campus is amplified as students, faculty and staff accelerate their respective efforts.
The entire semester culminated with commencement week. It was a wonderful way to end April and jump into May –– what a joyful time!
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make all the ceremonies a success. A special thank you to Lisa Weinzetl, director of University events, who worked tirelessly to address thousands of details and make everything come together. I also want to personally thank all of our volunteers, and I appreciate those faculty who attended one or more ceremonies. Seeing you through the eyes of our students is so moving. The energy in each of the ceremonies was so positive. There were too many smiles, hugs, fist bumps and high fives to count.
Rituals and ceremonies are important. They allow us to recognize achievement, to move from one phase to the next, and to take time to acknowledge accomplishments. There were many other smaller celebrations that occurred over the past couple of weeks. These events were so meaningful to our students and their family and friends. It offered us all time to reflect on our students’ unique talents, their passions, who they are and who they are striving to become.
These events, including but not limited to commencement, do not happen without the collective efforts of all members of our community. This weekend I congratulated, and we collectively recognized, our graduates for their hard work and accomplishments. That’s why, today, I want to recognize all of you.
The campus looked amazing. I received compliments on the works in progress across the various buildings and structures. I hope that you were able to take a few minutes to pause and to simply enjoy the spirit and significance of the events. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Our students walked across the stage; however, these were days of celebration and recognition for all of us.
The cadence of the academic calendar for our various programs and activities means that the summer months are a mix of endings and beginnings, planning and executing, teaching and synthesizing. Many of our staff mark today as the beginning of large projects designed to provide an exemplary student experience, while faculty within various programs are preparing for summer session courses. Some of our coaches are still engaged in competition while others are working on recruiting that next class of student athletes.
For those of you who have volunteered to serve on one of our implementation teams for our new strategic plan, thank you! We will be contacting you with next steps in the coming weeks.
Although people might refer to the next few months as “summer break,” our campus is alive, which is a sign of a healthy and vibrant organization, striving for excellence and financial sustainability.
We have a lot to be excited about at SRU, and the way that we came together at the end of the spring semester has me encouraged for what’s next.
Sincerely,
Karen Riley
SRU President
