Beginning spring break with gratitude and hope

Dear campus community, 

As we wrap up winter term and look ahead to spring, I want to share a personal message with all of you. 

First to our students: Please know that the faculty, staff and administrators are working hard to sustain your academic studies. I am certain you understand that the move to remote learning is a challenge that all of us share. Things will not be perfect in the spring term. What we can do is all try our best. Sometime when things are shaken up — and we scramble to respond — fun and amazing things happen! I anticipate that this shifted reality will lead to profound learning experiences. 

Under the leadership of our Provost, Susan Jeffords, the deans, department chairs and faculty — along with important support units — are working to facilitate the move to remote learning for the spring term. I know this is unprecedented, demanding and just plain hard. I applaud all of you who are engaging your creative energy in this work to move to remote instruction. 

I want to also recognize the many campus and student support offices that are hard at work finding ways to provide all of us access to the support we need to continue campus operations, most of them going to remote delivery. I am grateful to the staff members who are doing this thoughtful work. 

Finally, I want to share that the biggest takeaway from this week, for me, has been seeing everyone in the PSU community joining together. As a team, we are committed to keeping our instruction and core services moving forward in spite of the curve ball we have been thrown. It is that commitment to and love for PSU that will sustain us for now and renew us soon. 

Thanks and please stay healthy!

Stephen Percy
Interim President
Portland State University