The last few months have been a daunting and frightening time because of the coronavirus pandemic, and all of us have been forced to navigate our way through much that is unknown.
In prioritizing the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff members, and the broader community, we’ve had to change our ordinary and preferred ways of teaching, learning, and working. To minimize the number of people on campus, we had to send students home and to switch on very short notice to online classes for the spring term. Nearly all faculty and staff members have also had to find ways to do their jobs remotely. And we canceled Commencement, Reunion, and other events and celebratory milestones that mark springtime in Minnesota and the close of Carleton’s academic year.
This has all occurred against the backdrop of sudden medical and economic crises that are generating staggering hardship and loss across the United States and around the world.
We are now in the midst of a critical effort to sustain the college’s mission and stay true to its values. Of course we can and will do this. But both singly and collectively, we have had to consider previously unfathomable notions and stretch in new and uncomfortable ways. Which, it seems to me, is a succinct and apt definition of learning.
Fortunately, Carleton has always been fiercely dedicated to—and really good at—learning and growth. So despite the newly required distances between us, we’ve been proceeding apace with offering superb instruction and continuing to come together in inspiring ways.
College faculty members have designed smart, creative, and rigorous remote courses in record time, taking advantage of the pedagogical opportunities online instruction affords. Our Information Technology Services staff and the leadership of the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching have been wonderful sources of training and support. In turn, students have quickly embraced remote learning. As digital natives, this is their métier!
Carleton’s open, caring, and irreverent spirit also continues to flourish. We’re still providing the whole gamut of support services to students who are unexpectedly back home, as well as for those who had to remain on campus. The ongoing work of the Career Center is especially important right now, given heightened anxieties about the job market. The Student Activities Office is offering a full slate of online programming. And in keeping with the finest Carleton tradition, student clubs and individual students are finding brilliant ways of keeping in meaningful contact—and having fun. The last few weeks have witnessed virtual performances by college musicians, the construction of a Minecraft replica of the campus in the eponymous video game, and a genuinely touching long-distance version of Friday Flowers that includes painted, chalked, and paper flowers, as well as actual blooms.
All of this gives me confidence that we’ll persist in overcoming the obstacles with determination, resilience, and grace. We will succeed because Carleton is much more than a collection of buildings centered around the Bald Spot. The Carleton that we love, the Carleton that truly has a hold on our hearts, is also the ineffable spirit of how we seek out knowledge. It’s our commitment to intellectual depth and excellence. It’s how we refuse to take ourselves too seriously. It’s how we engage with and treat each other. We are properly drawing on these distinctive characteristics and culture now.
I’ll close by thanking the Carleton community for its patience, good faith, and trust, all of which are much in evidence. I hope all of you are attending to your own health and that of your loved ones. Please take care and be well.