First and foremost, congratulations, and thank you! We made it through this fall semester, and I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone in our college for getting us here. You all have been incredibly flexible, and words cannot adequately express how deeply appreciative I am of everything our college leadership, faculty, staff and students have done — together — to get us through.

Students, I know this semester looked very different. It's not what you had planned for your college experience but you made it work. Because of the respect and dedication you embraced throughout the semester, we succeeded in accomplishing the unfathomable. So much gratitude for each and every one of you!

Faculty members, you worked tirelessly to redesign your classes for your teaching mode and you engaged your students with care and compassion which allowed us to maintain an excellent educational experience for them. Your dedication is what makes our college so incredibly special.

Staff members, you took on responsibilities you never imagined would be part of your jobs, and found innovative ways to get things done. Quite simply, you are the backbone of our college and we would not have accomplished this fall without you. I am truly amazed by and full of gratitude for you!

I also want to thank our:

• Alumni and Development staff, whose work typically involves in-person events. You successfully transitioned to connect with alumni and friends remotely;
• CETC staff who worked tirelessly to ensure our college community had the technology needed to function remotely;
• Staff Advisory Council, which worked to keep staff connected through multiple virtual events;
• Operations team members, who re-created spaces to provide safe areas for students to study or attend remote classes, implemented safety protocols, distributed PPE to those who needed it and kept us informed through multiple communication mechanisms.
• Student Councils, who partnered with our operations team to host multiple grab-and-go events for our students. I heard from many students who are grateful for your efforts and partnership to provide them with a sense community, and I echo their gratitude.

Thank you all for doing whatever was needed to get the job done. I am honored to be your dean. My wish for you is for a safe, restful, enjoyable winter break. I'll see you all — in person or virtually — in January!

With deep appreciation,

Dean Kimberly A. Lawless

College of Education