Dear colleagues,
The end of the semester and commencement is
here! Each year, I am surprised at how quickly our academic year
progresses. We have many things to be grateful for and proud of this
year. Thank you for your contributions to our success.
The end of
the year events, ceremonies, and awards are a wonderful time to reflect
and celebrate together. To get a snapshot of activity on campus this
past year, please take a minute to watch this
recap video.
I'm also pleased to share with you a new non-discrimination statement from the Campus Climate Leadership Team
which clearly articulates our expectations, standards, and values. This
statement furthers our Goal 2 commitment to create a positive and
inclusive campus climate for all by advancing equity, diversity, and
social justice.
This year was packed with impressive work from our students,
faculty, and staff. Some examples include the creation and launch of the
new Advanced Materials Center, the reopening of the beautifully
renovated Cina Hall, and the opening of the new Securian Math Learning
Lab. Our fine arts departments held numerous impressive performances and
exhibitions, and the theatre department earned national awards for the One River
production. We also gained national attention for the discovery of a
new galaxy, led by our physics department, and for our mechanical and
electrical engineering students winning the nationwide Air Force
Research Lab Challenge. Bulldog Athletics saw broad-based success with
national rankings, recognitions, and success, over 2,000 volunteer
hours, and the highest single semester all athlete GPA ever at 3.19.
Moving forward, we continue to look towards continued excellence and
achievements. This includes an ongoing push for legislative bonding
funds to hopefully start construction on our new Chemistry and Advanced
Materials Science building. Watch for a celebration this fall for the
50th anniversary of the Alworth Planetarium. The Department of
Communication is creating a new Communication Research Lab in Kirby
Plaza. I'm sure our faculty and students will have a summer filled with
impressive research. There are many other accomplishments I could
mention, and I look forward to numerous additional achievements to
celebrate in the fall.
Please save the date and time for our faculty and staff welcome on Monday, August 21 from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. in the Ward Wells Field House. This continental breakfast event will replace the previous afternoon welcome.
I'd
be remiss if I did not mention our budget, so I'll just quickly note
that Vice Chancellor Steve Keto will provide an update on our budget and
next steps after we get a clearer picture from the state legislature
over the next couple weeks. We remain concerned about the proposed low
funding for the University of Minnesota from both the Minnesota House
and Senate.
Thank you all for a another successful year and congratulations to our 2017 graduates!
Sincerely,
Chancellor Lendley Black
