Keep the Faith

Dear Everyone,

I continue to lift each of you in my prayers, and I trust this note finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.

Monday marked an historic moment in our University's history as we began delivery of virtual instruction (and advising) to all our students. Our faculty, students, staff, and administration deserve kudos for leaping into this uncharted territory without hesitation or complaint.

Today, as we bring to a close our first week of learning, teaching and working remotely, we are also making history.  We are all rising to the challenge of these extraordinary times with good humor, compassion, and resolve while delivering an incredible education and extraordinary services.  Thank you!

The coming weeks as “Virtual Falcons” won't be easy, but we will press on together, learning from both the opportunities and the challenges of our new reality.  We will be reminded of the irreplaceable value of our “high- touch” community and the strength and joy we find in our shared humanity.  This, of course, is at the heart of a Fairmont State education.

In the end, our story will be one of how we lifted each other up during these difficult times, and how we did our best each day as individuals and as a University to mitigate the effects of a global pandemic.  It will be the story of how we changed and adapted, how we taught and learned, how we served our neighbors, how we were kind to each other, how we put aside our differences and helped one another, and how we emerged even stronger.  And, how we did all of this by bonding even closer together.

I am inspired by your unwavering commitment to one another and by your devotion to be the best learners, educators, and professionals you can be. I have been encouraged by your kind emails, notes, calls, and prayers.  I am proud to call myself a Falcon!

Our campus may be closed, but our mission and our desire to serve are alive and as powerful as ever.  We truly are the wellspring of aspiration and inspiration for West Virginia!  From my office, I feel your warmth and your support for one another in new and profound ways.  Thank you!

Keep the faith!  Stay connected!  #WeAreOneFalconFamily

I look forward to welcoming you back home soon.

Be well and stay healthy.