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Summer 2020 HNU Today

Stronger Together: The HNU community rises to the challenge of COVID-19

Read electronic version of HNU Today

MESSAGE FROM HNU PRESIDENT MIKE GROENER:

Dear HNU Community,

I am keenly aware that by the time this issue reaches you, the world around us may be dramatically different from the day I write this. In fact, due to the seismic changes we are experiencing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent demand to protect and to value Black lives, this is now the third time I’ve written this message to you.

My heart is heavy with the loss brought on by COVID-19 and the injustice of deeply rooted, systemic racism in our society, but I do remain hopeful for our future. This moment calling for racial justice is bringing many of us painful clarity, and we won’t let it pass us by without being a part of the monumental changes in progress.

As a mission-driven university, it is our work to reimagine a just society through education, and we are examining our approach to ensure that it is both impactful and sustainable. I look forward to sharing our new academic strategic plan with you in our next issue, as it addresses directly the identities and interests of our students and ways to continue to support them as socially conscious leaders once they become alumni.

It is also our work to provide a Holy Names education that continues to be transformational for our students, while keeping our campus safe during this global pandemic. We are blessed with caring, competent faculty and staff at HNU. Cabinet members and their teams have been working tirelessly and collaboratively to ensure the safety and well-being of our campus community now and in the coming months.

With the extraordinary dedication and support of all faculty, students, and staff, we were able to continue our educational mission remotely during the spring and summer terms. Our student life, campus ministry, and communications teams have kept our community connected at a distance.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to those HNU staff members who have remained on campus to provide essential services to our students during this pandemic. And to frontline workers in public safety and healthcare, whose numbers include many HNU alumni, we thank you for your courage and steadfast commitment to the well-being of our communities during this time of crisis.

Finally, I want to reflect upon the incredibly tough decision to postpone commencement this past May. Graduation day is a momentous occasion for our students and their families, and I know a virtual celebration could not replace the experience of walking across the HNU stage that all our graduates deserve. I look forward to when we can invite our 2020 graduates back to campus with their families and friends to properly celebrate their accomplishments.

As you will see in this edition of HNU Today, despite worldwide disruption, a lot has been happening at HNU that deserves recognition. Please enjoy this issue.

Mike Groener
President, Holy Names University