Fall 2022 Welcome: We are All Together More!
Dear Saint Mary’s Community,
Welcome to the start of a new 2022-23 academic year! It is wonderful to feel the energy and excitement as you walk around our beautiful campus—hearing laughter and stories exchanged of summer activities while our students soak in the sun on the way to classes, practices and activities.
Our Weekend of Welcome took place last week when our reputable student leaders, known affectionately as WoWies, welcomed their newest peers to the Gael community with live music, free food and unforgettable memories created with activities such as the longstanding tradition of “Paint the SMC” (with no paint brushes) and ending the weekend with the WoW Carnival!
Our Weekend of Welcome festivities displayed one of the very best of Saint Mary’s experiences. The camaraderie and Lasallian value of caring for each other translates to being part of a close-knit community that is authentic and truly special here at Saint Mary’s. In addition, our Bay Area location, our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, our wide array of academic and service programs, our top-ranked athletics programs, and our numerous service and leadership opportunities – all contribute to what makes Saint Mary’s a special place. But the most striking is our approach to education guided by the Lasallian core principles.
Saint Mary’s education centers on respect and personal relationships, emphasizing academic excellence, faith, inclusion, service and social justice. We meet students where they are and push them to what they can be. The outcome of Saint Mary’s transformative education and experience stretches far into the future, for a lifetime of accomplishments, connection and meaningful difference.
As we embrace diversity and practice inclusion, the college community is greater than the sum of its members. That’s what we mean when we say All Together More and that’s why this important theme will be reiterated throughout the academic year as it encapsulates Saint Mary’s distinction.
I look forward to spending as much time as possible getting to know as many members of our campus community this new academic year. There is much to be excited about as we have a very busy year ahead of us. We will work together to chart our future as we finalize the College’s strategic plan. We will also begin to lay the groundwork for accreditation and re-affirmation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), as Executive Vice President and Provost Corey Cook and Vice President for Mission Frances Sweeney, Chair of the WASC accreditation committee, along with their respective teams lead this important initiative.
There are also noticeable changes on campus that are already underway. This fall, we welcome The Good Eating Company as our new food service provider with a team that has already begun to make exciting changes in the culinary and sustainability spaces. In addition, our talented and devoted Facilities Services team spent the summer hard at work on necessary upgrades and improvements and you will continue to see and benefit from their ongoing work this fall.
We also know that COVID-19 and Monkeypox continue to present public health challenges, not only to our community but also the greater Bay Area and beyond. In partnership with the COVID Coordinating Council and the Academic Contingency Planning and Working Group (ACPWG), I recently announced a new course policy for masking in the classroom. In the spirit of following our Lasallian values, thank you for continuing to practice kindness and compassion with each other as we adhere to this policy as the safety and well-being of our campus community remains a top priority and as we navigate through these ongoing challenges.
Finally, to both the entering class and returning students, I encourage you to follow your academic dreams and also to be willing to take risks. Explore intellectual, social, and cultural avenues that will help you develop into your best selves. Participate in class activities both on campus and off, take part in cultural events, and make use of the resources our unique community has to offer.
Seeing our campus community come together again as we kickoff this fall semester, I am grateful for our students, faculty, and staff that comprise this wonderful community. I am excited to begin the new school year together.
We are All Together More!
Best regards,
Richard Plumb, PhD
President