President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

Spring Break

March 13, 2020

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

It is perhaps fitting that we prepare to start a Spring Break unlike any other on a rainy Friday the 13th. Yet despite all the turmoil and disappointment, I am heartened by what I have seen from our campus these past few days. Yesterday I met with Staff Assembly, Student Assembly, and the faculty. I have also had many individual conversations with students, employees, parents, and alumni.

This is what I am hearing.

Sadness is universal; many are in tears. Seniors especially are struggling to reconcile the current reality with the hopes they held for a joyous final spring on campus. Our students love this College, and they regret every moment they can’t be here.

Uncertainty is everywhere. People worry about their friends and loved ones, especially those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. Students wonder when they will see each other again, what sort of education the College can provide online, and what this all means for their future. International students wonder whether they can go home and, if they do, whether they can return.

The constant drumbeat of negative news—travel restrictions, plunging markets, business closures—heightens the anxiety that all of us feel.

But I am hearing something else as well.

Across the campus, students, faculty, and staff are rising to the challenge. Students are reaching out to support each other, in ways large and small. In the dining hall this morning, three students told me they eat breakfast together every day—and they will continue to do so by FaceTime after they go home.

Faculty have shifted full time into problem-solving mode. They are sharing ideas for distance learning, talking to experts about instructional design and the technology for remote instruction, and focusing above all on the answer to one question: how can we best support our students?

Staff have responded magnificently. They are working round the clock to prepare the College to operate in an unfamiliar and rapidly changing environment, tackling student life challenges, technology issues, communications overload, and financial strains. And amidst all of this, we are working on bringing the next class of wonderful students to a campus many will not be able to visit this spring.

None of this surprises me. I know our community—its strength, creativity, dedication, and resilience. We will work through this together.

I know many questions remain. We will do our best to provide answers as quickly as we can. Please watch our dedicated webpage for the latest updates.

I have always been proud to be part of this community, but never more so than today.

David