President Rebecca M. Bergman
Every spring, I marvel at how quickly our campus comes to life with the vibrant colors of green grass, the tulips blooming outside Christ Chapel, and the iconic pink and white crabapple blossoms that explode into being on Old Main Hill. As I walked down Eckman Mall on Saturday, taking in the beautiful scenery, I was overcome with gratitude at the fact we were able to be together on campus this year.
This past weekend was Honors Weekend, a fitting time to reflect on the year’s many successes and how we attained them. I was so pleased to be joined by students and faculty representatives in Christ Chapel for Saturday’s Honors Convocation. As I stepped up to the pulpit, I realized that I was gazing at the most people I’d seen in person at one time in over a year. What a moving feeling! Like so many things this year, it was different than before. And yet, despite the social distancing and the fact that parents and loved ones were watching from afar, the event felt like an important step in returning to normal.
We have much to be proud of this year. Twenty-seven student research projects representing 13 academic departments were presented at Friday’s Celebration of Creative Inquiry. We are having a banner year for national and international student fellowships. A plethora of accomplished students and organizations were recognized with Magnuson Student Leadership and Service Awards. Dr. Maddalena Marinari won the Faculty Scholarly Accomplishment Award for her work documenting the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and marginalized communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Misti Harper was selected by students as the winner of the Swenson-Bunn Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of her impactful teaching, kindness, and care for students. Later in the day, I had the opportunity to give a welcome at the Gustie Entrepreneur Cup and attend the music department’s Senior Honors Recital, both of which further illustrated the diverse and wide-ranging talents of our student body.
I could go on and on. My point is this: we have so much to be grateful for at Gustavus. During this busy last week of classes, I hope that you can take a few minutes to get outside and walk our beautiful campus. Enjoy the blossoms, turn your face to the sun, and take a moment to think about all the ways that we’ve pulled together to accomplish so much this year.
Gusties, we’re almost there. Let’s finish strong!
Yours in community,
President Bergman