Dear Faculty:
I hope your semester is off to a strong start.
Last week, President Granberg, Vice Provost and Dean Coleman, and I sent a message to the community sharing updates and guidance for the fall semester, driven by our core commitments to a safe campus environment, the community’s right to free expression, and maintaining our educational and research operations with minimal interruption. Our shared understanding of these commitments enables us to begin the academic year in a strong position to embrace opportunities and further advance our academic and research enterprises.
The opportunities are many, and they will require the full engagement of our community. Our students have started the year in earnest, strengthening our community and making GW come alive in and out of the classroom — through taking part in Weeks of Welcome and the Welcome Day of Service, joining student organizations, attending events, making plans to participate in democracy ahead of this year’s general presidential election, and much more. Their engagement and enthusiasm in all aspects of our community are a reminder of why we do what we do.
I ask that you, our faculty and the key ingredient to our success, be similarly committed to invigorating our community in and out of the classroom. There will be many opportunities to participate in service this year, including, but certainly not limited to, the continuation of the strategic framework process, the Middle States self-study process, and building out the recommendations of the summer’s faculty-led working groups. When the university puts out the call for volunteers and participants to support various initiatives, I encourage you to say yes. The active participation and diverse viewpoints of our faculty across all schools and disciplines will be a critical factor in our work now and in the future.
Please join me in embracing opportunities, strengthening our community, and making GW the very best place to teach, learn, research, and work. I wish you a successful and fulfilling fall semester.
Sincerely,
Christopher Alan Bracey
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Law