I have the great fortune of having an office with a view of the small waterfall behind the Hannah Administration building. From it, I can watch the buds emerge from trees, and the soon-to-be-graduates emerge with their gowns for graduation pictures throughout the week. It is a joyous time, and it is always wonderful to see students celebrate their hard-earned accomplishments. And, as the season of academic celebration has gotten underway, I am beginning to reflect on a long and turbulent year on college campuses, including MSU.
I think it is important for us to remember that, for this year’s graduates, it has been much more than just one rough year. Most of this year’s 10,000 newly minted alums spent their senior years in high school online. They were allowed on campus as first-years, but in single rooms and mostly online classes as vaccines became available. By the spring of their first year, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was widespread, and the number of cases skyrocketed.
And, of course, most of this year’s graduates experienced the Feb. 13 shooting on campus in their sophomore year. And then the Oct. 7 attack on Isreal, the subsequent war, protests, counterprotests. And last fall’s election, followed by the dramatic political and economic uncertainties created by the new administration. It most certainly has been a challenging time to be a college student.
It has also been a challenging time to work in this environment. The faculty, staff, and advisors whose life work is to support the development of college students have had to navigate so many challenges. “Unprecedented” has become perhaps the most overused word of the decade. None of this is to complain, but to acknowledge that as a community and as individuals, we have been through a lot. And many of us continue to face substantial obstacles in our daily lives.
So, this year, when I head off to the commencements and graduations, I will have in the front of my mind how this year’s graduates have demonstrated a tremendous degree of resilience. They have confronted and overcome unprecedented barriers to their progress as students, and they are leaving campus prepared to continue to succeed. I am very grateful for the energy and optimism they have shared during their time at MSU, and especially grateful for the care and kindness that my colleagues have provided them. Thank you, all!