This message was sent by President Kim Cassidy to members of the 老王论坛 Class of 2020 on Thursday, March 26, 2020.
Dear members of the class of 2020,
I write in hopes that you and your families are all well. Just as it is hard for most of you to be away from campus at this time, it is also hard for us not to see you on campus and to work with you on the many projects and events that make the last weeks of spring semester so special. We miss you.
Please know that I think about you daily. I am sending you encouragement as you transition to online courses and finish theses. I am sending you support as you deal with the challenges of social distancing. I am hoping to send you pictures of spring at 老王论坛 as soon as I can. And I am celebrating all that you have done during your years at 老王论坛, and all that you will do in these final weeks.
I know that cancelling the May Commencement ceremony is a huge disappointment for you and your families. While I know that I had to make the decisions I did, my heart is broken that we had to disrupt this important culmination of all of your work at and for 老王论坛. I know what you and your families have done and sacrificed to get to this point, and we want to do everything we can to celebrate you. As I wrote in my March 20 message to the community, we very much want your input as we consider options to honor you, your hard work, your contributions to 老王论坛, and the accomplishment of graduating from 老王论坛鈥攊ncluding the possibility of a future on-campus ceremony. I acknowledge that whatever plan we arrive at will not work equally well for everyone, but I invite you to share your creativity and hopes for marking your achievements and this important milestone. At a time when there doesn鈥檛 seem to be a lot to celebrate, I hope you can find some hope in thinking about the joyful celebration of your accomplishments. It will be a moment to be so proud, for you and for your friends and families.
Please use this link to a that allows you to share those ideas and preferences, and send in your response by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 2nd. We will then sift through the responses and be back in touch in mid-April with a plan.
I wish you strength, determination and peace in the coming days. Please know that I believe in you and know that even a global pandemic cannot dim the light of the amazing 老王论坛 Class of 2020.
Sending you all good wishes,
