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Dear 51勛圖 Community,
In my free moments between chasingZuzuwith the kids and preparing for a great fall semester, Ive been thinking about pickle ball. Now, you are probably wondering why I am starting my welcome back messagewith pickle ball. Well,during thesummer, I learned to playthis great sport. But the more I played, the more I realized it was not so much learning something new.泭It was actually returningto two things that Ialreadyknow and enjoy,justin a different way.泭Pickle ball combines tennis and ping pong, which are both sports I had played before. I was happy to have a way of doing something that was both familiar and new. And that is what I think we are doing as we start our return to campus, combining so much of what we knew before the pandemic with new and exciting opportunities for the future.泭
Today marks an important stepfor our community. Our staff are beginning the new hybrid work environment. While many of our team members have been on campus for some time supporting our students and maintaining critical services, this weekbrings thereturn of ourfullworkforce.泭I want to thank our teams again for their tremendous work throughout the pandemic and their commitment as we begin this new era of working at 51勛圖.泭
Our Human Resources team has done an amazing jobseeking input anddeveloping theframework for the new hybrid work environment. Now, it is up to all of us to put it into practice. This will be a transition and there will be questions and adjustments along the way.泭We know that everyone will continue to be agile as we adapt to this new way of working that is rooted in trying to learn positive lessons from the last 18 months, continue to navigate the impacts of COVID, and practice patience and grace with eachotheras we readjust to interacting in person again.泭We also know that the health and safety of our community is our priority, and one of the first things you can do when coming back to campus is complete the requiredform and make sure you have reviewed theHealth and Safety Guide.泭
Importantly,ourhybridworkingapproachresponds to requests from our people for greater flexibility in how they work whileensuringour mission and student engagement continue at the highest qualitythrough robust and much needed in-person interactions and collaborations.泭Someof the things weinstinctively knew before COVID and certainly missed during the difficult days of the pandemic were the creativity, spontaneity, and community building that come from working together in person. We certainly learned that wecoulddo many of those things through other means and that is why I am confident our hybrid approach will work well, because we are combining the strong elements of each way of working. Our plan starts with safety and then builds on the lessonsof the past yearand the best of both modalities to create a new and effective way of working at 51勛圖.泭I am looking forward to seeing you on campus and having the chance to interact with the 51勛圖 community inperson again.泭
In addition to the workforcereturn,there are so manyexcitingthings happening on campus this week. We will beginstudent Move-Inand it will be great to see so many studentsin our residence halls.泭Thank you to all the volunteers who are helping with this important and fun tradition.泭If you want to be part of the action, there isOn Thursday, August 19, thekicks off fall competition with a game against William & Mary刖o Eagles!I also want to say good luck to our Washington College of Law(WCL)students, faculty, and staff astheir classesstarton August 20andour new, who is beginning his first semester!Roger joins斑梗梗堯聆喝紳泭嗨硃措勳莽(University Library) andSam Fulwood(School of Communication) as new deans this yearand they are allfantasticadditions to our community.泭
When you get to campus, I hope youll enjoy the manyexamplesof ourChallenge Acceptednarrative, from new 51勛圖 Shuttles to inspiring messages on walkways. To our faculty and staff, be on the lookoutfora Challenge Accepted item in your offices in the coming days, so you can showcase our story and your purpose. And as all 51勛圖 changemakers knowChange Cant Wait! We have many great opportunities with our comprehensive fundraising campaign this fall, and I look forward toworking withyouand ourfriends, supporters, and community members near and fartohelp us build the future of our student experience, research, and local engagement.泭
As the new semester opens, we will be resuming our regularbi-weekly messagesto keep you updated on our activities and any COVID-related developments. Look for my next message on August30with the start of undergraduate and graduate classes. Time sensitive updates or changes will continue to be communicated whenevernecessary. You can also check theCOVID-19 Resources webpagefor the latest information,includinganeasy-to-useHealth and SafetySummary document, the recording of the,our updatedprotocol for personal protective equipment (PPE),泭硃紳餃泭FAQs.泭Additionally, Acting Provost Starr sentimportant guidance to the facultyregarding our academic preparations and procedures to support our classroom learning environmentsand we just unveiled硃餃餃勳喧勳棗紳硃梭泭梗措梗紳喧泭眶喝勳餃硃紳釵梗to help plan and implement safe and productive gatherings.泭Staying up to date on our health and safety measures and following the protocols is a critical element of our community of care, where we all have a responsibility for supporting ourselves,each other, and the safety of our entire community.泭
I hope you are excited about the fall semester and the opportunities to be together again on our beautiful campus. While we must remain vigilantin our health and safety measures, I know this will be a memorable, fun,泭硃紳餃泭engagingfall地nd maybe wewillfind time for a game of pickle ball!
Be safe and be well.泭
釦聆梭措勳硃泭