This is an archived communication. Access the university's current coronavirus information.
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Dear Members of the Kent State University Community,
Two years ago this week, the growing threat of COVID-19 led us to move to fully remote instruction and to close virtually all on-campus housing. Nearly all employees began working from home, save for a few dedicated employees tasked with keeping buildings and grounds safe and secure, and with caring for the few students who remained in the residence halls.
In spite of the uncertainty and anxiety, I knew that we were up to the task. I knew that you would lead us through an unprecedented challenge in our university’s history. As I wrote in a message to the Kent State community on March 13, 2020, I knew we would succeed because of our people, because of our collective expertise and because of our Flashes Take Care of Flashes spirit and commitment.
Now, I can state emphatically that I was right. Because of all you have done, we have continued to thrive even during the most difficult of circumstances. Because our students displayed grit and flexibility, they weathered an unprecedented crisis with fortitude and grace. Because of the support of our faculty and staff, students continued their studies and some 10,000 have earned their degrees since the pandemic began.
Flashes continue to take care of one another, and we continue to create new successes in spite of the pandemic. We continue to generate new knowledge and have earned the coveted R1 research designation, a distinction of excellence only reserved for elite research institutions. During the past two years as well, we have been named the best university in the United States for global education, and we have been recognized most recently as a most promising place to work in America for professionals in student affairs.
Throughout the pandemic, leaders from Faculty Senate and our faculty and staff unions helped to guide us with their expertise and advice as we fashioned thoughtful, flexible and successful policies to address the myriad obstacles COVID-19 delivered. We continue to look for new ways in which our entire community can be active stakeholders in how university policy is developed and how our campuses operate.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, grim reminders of the public health crisis of racism weighed heavily on our community as well. From the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, the tragic taking of Breonna Taylor’s life and the incidents of graffiti on the Rock on our Kent Campus, we learned that we are not separated from the nation’s ills and challenges. We also learned, however, that we could change our environment as guided by the work of the Kent State Anti-Racism Taskforce.
As we reflect on the past two years, you may find it interesting to reread this message I sent to the community on March 13, 2020. I urge you to take a minute to remember your own journey during the last two years – think of the loved ones you lost during the pandemic and the family members, friends, teachers and others who helped you survive and, hopefully, even thrive since COVID-19 entered our world.
On March 13, 2020, I thanked you for your empathy and forbearance as we entered a new world of COVID-19. Today, I will do so again as we continue to live in a world still shaped by a virus that we now understand much better but which still threatens the lives of our citizens and the well-being of our community.
In this new world, Flashes will continue to take care of Flashes. Take care of each other, take care of yourself and I know we’ll all enjoy a successful conclusion to the 2021-2022 academic year.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President