Muskingum News

Dear Muskies,
 
Welcome back! We are so glad to have students return to campus. As we begin our Spring 2021 semester, I would like to take a few moments to reflect with you on the particular time and space in which we are learning together. 2020 was an unprecedented year not only with a global pandemic and its impact on health, economic, and personal well-being but also with multiple reminders of the fragility and the resilience of our social and political systems. We have an exceptional opportunity to address a convergence of these complex variables during our first week of classes as we look ahead to the inauguration of a new president in an unusually contentious time; celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and the many women and men, past and present, who continue to challenge us to embrace justice for all; and maintain our collective efforts around health and safety so we can stay together this semester. Whew! That is quite a list.
 
However, we are called and prepared for such a time as this--to engage in thoughtful analysis, listen carefully to one another, embrace diverse viewpoints, and take action to ensure both individual and collective justice for all, and do so while wearing masks, staying socially distant and participating in rigorous testing protocols. If the fall showed us anything, we learned that we turn challenges into opportunities. It is what we do.
 
As we gather for classes on Monday, January 18, we will begin our week-long celebration of Voices of Social Justice with classroom conversations, common hour gatherings, a campus-wide service project, and campus voices captured on film. I strongly encourage each one of you to take advantage of these opportunities to learn and celebrate together. 
 
In addition, we will be providing socially distanced television coverage of the inauguration in our library colloquium center on Wednesday, January 20, with faculty and staff members present throughout the day to help process and discuss events as they unfold. Watch your email and the Student Digest for more details.
 
We will also be holding a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, January 21st at 6:00 pm for students and families to review our plans for the semester. A link for this virtual meeting will be coming soon.

We will all play different roles this semester in creating a campus and a world where each person can thrive but together we will make it happen. We are Muskingum. We’ve got this!  
 
With gratitude, 
 
President Hasseler