It is an honor to say a few words at the start of a new school year. 

I joined this community in July 2020, so it will come as no surprise to you that my Rutgers experience to this point has been a bit unusual. Serving as your president via Zoom was never my aspiration, though I am grateful that we even had such technology available to allow us to function in the first place.

As we stand on the cusp of welcoming a new generation of Rutgers students to our campuses, as we get ready to open the doors to our classrooms, studios, lecture halls, and cafeterias, I want to thank everyone who helped us get this far. Thanks to the essential staff who kept our community safe and who maintained the institution's physical plant; thanks to the faculty who acted quickly to turn their classes around and who found innovative ways to preserve the pedagogical rigor that is at the heart of a Rutgers education; thanks to the students who managed through all of the challenges and changes that accompanied the extraordinary circumstances behind a remote education. Together, we have navigated a global pandemic that has been unlike anything in our lifetimes. The financial impact has been shocking, the rapid and profound changes to business and educational models have been destabilizing, and the loss of life has been heart-breaking.

And while we are not fully free of the pandemic's grip, we are now at a place where we can open our doors with confidence that our community will be safe. And for that I thank everyone who got vaccinated. Your actions are essential to the many successes of the coming school year.

This, my second year as your president, is going to feel like my first in so many ways. I look forward to meeting you in person, to shaking your hands, and then to discovering what Rutgers is like when the campuses are buzzing with energy.

RU ready? I know I am.