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Dear �պ����� Community,

Last week, we had the opportunity to come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an excellent guest speaker, Dr. Damon A. Williams. I appreciated Dr. Williams’s persuasive message for us to cultivate and sustain “a beloved community” in the ways Dr. King had envisioned. were so compelling that I write today to share them with you, along with my encouragement to every member of our �պ����� community to consider and commit to this inspiring vision.

 At the event, President Garimella opened with the powerful encouragement that we must all be devoted to working for the betterment of this community and embrace the notion of true inclusion and commitment to one another. It’s about each of us taking responsibility for creating a community of care and compassion. As Dr. Garimella said, citing the late Congressman John Lewis, when we do this, we can create a society at peace with itself.

 To be in a community together includes the opportunity and the challenge of being exposed to vastly differing world views. Engaging with viewpoints in opposition to one’s own is often difficult, and sometimes painful. Still, and because we are a community of inquiry grounded in shared values, it is vital for us to do so.

 This semester and beyond, you will be invited to lectures, workshops, trainings, and conversations focused on respectful discourse and shared understanding. I hope you will take the time to attend and engage – with the respect, openness and integrity that characterize the people of our cherished university. Today, the Interfaith Center is offering a workshop on . Next week, on February 7, participants in our annual Janus Forum will engage timely questions about social media – and provide a stellar example of how respectful and productive debate helps deepen our understanding of issues.

 This work will continue throughout this semester, with plans underway to convene a second panel on the Israel-Hamas conflict, drawing on the deep expertise of �պ����� faculty, as well as a workshop on Islamophobia. The university’s Major Lecture Series will bring more guests to share their expertise and explore with us the opportunities and implications of social media use. We have begun—and will continue—training faculty and staff on intergroup dialog facilitation methods. These are just a few examples of opportunities to listen, learn, and engage across our differences.  

 President Garimella and I, along with our colleagues in leadership, value the presence and contributions of every member of our university community, and we believe that our differences help make us better. Thank you for committing to this work. I look forward to working alongside you as one �պ�����.

Sincerely,

Patricia Prelock

Provost and Senior Vice President