Dear Friends, Students, and Colleagues,<\/p>\n
I\u2019m writing to you the morning after one of the most meaningful days in the life of this university, and in mine.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll share photos and memories from the inauguration later this week. But I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to say it directly: Thank you.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank you for showing up. For this university. For our students. For the future we\u2019re building together.<\/p>\n When I looked out from that podium and saw the room \u2013 the faces, the energy, the belief \u2013 I felt something I don\u2019t think I’ll ever forget. That was not just an inauguration. That was a community telling itself what it\u2019s capable of.<\/p>\n Somewhere on this campus right now, there’s a student who almost didn’t come back this semester. Who’s wondering if they belong. If you see them, tell them they do. That\u2019s the work.<\/p>\n During my address, I asked our community to carry one question into every room and every decision: What does it take for our people to thrive? <\/em><\/strong>Not survive. Not get by. Thrive.<\/strong><\/p>\n I meant that for all of us. Not just those on campus, but every partner, every supporter, every person who believes in what a regional public university can be.<\/p>\n If we answer that question honestly, and if we let it change us, there is no limit to what this university can become.<\/p>\n\n