We use cookies to analyze our traffic. You consent to our use of cookies if you continue to use our website.

Accept

A Message of Gratitude from President Groener

HNU President Mike Groener
Photo: Luis Cardona

Dear HNU community,

This Thanksgiving week, I want to pause for a moment to share my gratitude for you all. While Thanksgiving has a deeply problematic history, we have an opportunity to educate ourselves about and honor native communities that have been harmed, while also focusing on the importance of community and of giving thanks. This has been such a challenging year, and our Holy Names community has stepped up to serve others in countless ways. Today, I share my gratitude for:

  • Our front line and essential services staff, who have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the campus running and to support students since the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to shelter in place last March.
  • Our students, who continue to make us proud by pursuing their educational goals in the face of the many challenges brought on by the pandemic, including the need to learn remotely.
  • Our student leaders, who have expressed their struggles during this time so sincerely and asked for additional flexibility that will ease some of the stress our student body is experiencing during this extraordinary year.
  • Our faculty, who have taken on the enormous challenge of moving their teaching online and supporting their students from a distance while also experiencing the stresses of this pandemic.
  • Our staff, who have had to re-invent how they do their jobs. You are working with limited resources and asked to do more with less. As always, you are going above and beyond for our students and the University during a time that is equally challenging for you.
  • Our alumni and donors, many of whom have re-engaged with the University to lend their support or have increased their financial contributions in response to the urgent needs of our students.
  • Our HNU community’s active involvement in the global movement to end racial injustice that has arisen in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. This reaffirms our SNJM core values and historical commitment to create a more just and equitable society.

Your actions are a profound demonstration of your resilience as a community, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve as your president.

As you take time to celebrate all that you are thankful for this holiday weekend, please continue to stay safe.

Sincerely,

Mike Groener
President, Holy Names University