Hi everyone.
You may be wondering why I’m in the Rotunda, standing behind a podium.
I had to record a speech for future use, and I thought, since we’re all here, I would
send a brief message marking the occasion, offering you thanks, and looking ahead just
a bit.
I’d also like to share some good news for our faculty and staff.]
As you may know, today is the last day of the semester for undergraduates, which is
always a day to celebrate.
But this year, in particular, this moment is worth marking and celebrating, and I know
of no better way to capture the moment than to quote the inimitable poet and philosopher
Barry Manilow, who once said: “Looks like we made it.”
At least to the end of classes.
And we made it because of all of you.
So to our students, thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made this year to keep yourselves
and our community safe; thank you for your generosity and kindness toward your classmates;
thank you for following public health measures that, frankly, were not so fun; thank you
for showing up for weekly saliva tests and for your many contributions to our wastewater
testing program.
(I’m kidding.
I mean I am grateful, don’t get me wrong.)
To our faculty, thank you for your dedication to teaching and research; thank you for the
creativity you’ve brought to our classrooms, labs, and Zoom rooms to make the semester
possible; thank you, especially, for caring so much about our students, which was evident
in every single one of the many conversations I’ve had with faculty during the course
of this year.
To our staff, thank for your resilience, flexibility, and willingness to go above and beyond – many
of you spending this year filling roles well beyond your regular job descriptions; thank
you for working late nights, early mornings, and weekends; thank you for caring so much
about this place, about each other, and about our students;
To all of our team members at UVA health, thank you for your heroic work in treating
COVID patients and providing ongoing care for all of our patients in need, and in helping
to mobilize a herculean vaccination effort.
This is a year we will surely never forget, and we would never have made it to this point
without the countless contributions of the entire community.
It hasn’t been perfect, of course, but you should be justifiably proud of what you’ve
accomplished.
As challenging as this year has been, we now have a great deal to look forward to.
Coming soon are Final Exercises, this year brought to you not once, not twice, but seven
times!
As you’ve probably heard, we’ll be hosting five final exercises ceremonies for the class
of 2021 between May 21st and May 23rd.
These will be Final Exercises like no other, combining traditional elements with brand
new experiences: students will process down the Lawn and make their way to Scott Stadium
for a ceremony that will include the traditional conferral of degrees, a keynote address, and
several special surprises.
We are also delighted to be able to celebrate the class of 2020 in two ceremonies on Sunday,
May 16th.
They, too, will be able to walk the Lawn and process to Scott Stadium for what will surely
be a memorable and festive event.
We cannot wait to celebrate both classes.
Over and again.
And again.
And again and again and again and again!
Imagine how good we are going to be by the 7th ceremony!
For our faculty and staff, as all of you will remember, the financial burdens associated
with COVID forced us to enact a salary freeze last year.
This was a tough thing to do, given how hard everyone was working—and has continued to
work.
That is why I am thrilled to let you know that we will be able to offer merit salary
increases for this coming year.
More details will be forthcoming, but I’m happy to be the bearer of this good news – especially
in light of the incredible contributions our faculty and staff have made this year.
Perhaps the best news of all is that, after over a year of enduring this pandemic, the
light at the end of the tunnel is not just visible but palpable.
At this point, we are optimistic about being able to have relatively normal fall—with
residence halls filled, in-person classes, full access to research labs for students
and faculty alike, and sporting events with fans in the stands.
Of course, one thing we’ve learned many times by now is that COVID is capable of throwing
curve balls, but we are all looking forward to getting back to normal, and we will keep
you posted on our progress in the months ahead.
A brief public service message here: Vaccines, as you know, are crucial to getting back to
normal, and we are continuing to make excellent progress on vaccine distribution.
At last report over 11,000 students are either fully vaccinated or have received at least
one dose.
Everyone 16 and older who lives in Virginia is now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine,
and the supplies are plentiful.
If you are a student who was vaccinated somewhere other than UVA Health, please remember to
upload your vaccine records through the Healthy Hoos portal.
And if you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to sign up to get vaccinated right away.
The vaccines are our best weapon against COVID, and the sooner everyone in our community is
vaccinated, the better.
Let me close by saying this: What our community has done this year in the face of COVID has
been nothing short of extraordinary.
To our students, in particular, you should never forget that you did something this year
that many said was impossible.
They said you were too young, or too irresponsible, and some pointed out that the prefrontal cortex
is usually not fully developed until you’re 25.
Which is technically true.
But that didn’t stop any of you.
You made smart, responsible, and selfless decisions day in and day out, and you proved
the naysayers wrong.
Without those countless smart and selfless decisions, we would not be here.
And for that you have not just my gratitude but my abiding admiration.
And I hope you tuck this experience away and pull it out whenever anyone doubts that you,
individually or collectively, are capable of doing genuinely difficult things.
To our entire community: I believe this year, even though we were physically distant for
most of it, taught us more deeply just what it means to be a part of a community—both
the benefits and the obligations.
It taught us first and foremost the importance of selflessness—of acting not solely to
advance our own personal interests, but of acting to benefit and protect others in our
community.
It is through this sort of selflessness, combined with daily acts of grace and compassion, that
communities not only endure, but grow stronger.
Let’s carry these lessons with us as we move forward as a community and return not
simply to normal, but to an even brighter and better future.
Thank you.