Bethune-Cookman University issued the following announcement on Nov. 16.
My thoughts and prayers are with each of you as the semester quickly comes to an end and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons approach. We began the academic year with in-person classes and moved through the semester without interruption in face-to-face instruction or extra-curricular activities.
You participated faithfully in the regular Covid testing schedule and more students, faculty, and staff were vaccinated throughout the semester. Wearing masks during your class sessions and in other communal settings also made a positive difference for all of us. I am so very proud to serve as your Interim President. Students, I’m sure your professors and instructors join me in wishing that each of you will be extraordinarily successful as you continue to prepare your remaining assignments and projects and study for your final tests and exams. More than anything, we want you to “Finish Strong!” Yes, burn the midnight oil, meet with your classmates if you are working on a group project, and study for final tests and exams together. In other words, do all that you can do to continue to evolve into students who Dr. Bethune described as “diamonds in the rough.” I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to each faculty member.
The academic gains our students make are never possible without your dedication and commitment. Moreover, the additional time and effort you spend working on both ad hoc and standing committees and the outpouring of concern and support you demonstrate for our students through official advisement and informal mentoring are not loss on me. May God bless each of you with a boost of vitality as you put the finishing touches on Fall 2021 and prepare for a much needed and well-deserved break. I can’t thank you enough for all that you do.
In a little more than a week, Thanksgiving Day will arrive. In spite of the variety of challenges that lie before us as individuals or as members of the University community, we all have much for which to be extremely thankful. Like so many of you, thanking God for the breath of life tops my list. It is because of this particular blessing that everything else becomes possible. Of course, on the heels of Thanksgiving is Christmas, a time of gatherings and presents.
The importance of our biological families and the people we have chosen as extended family members to travel with us on life’s journey are among the things I think most about at Christmastime. What wonderful gifts! Celebrate them all. Students, faculty, and staff, if this semester has reminded us of anything, it is that time really does fly! As you enjoy family and friends over the holidays and as you relax, retool, and refuel for Spring 2022, I hope you will reflect on the special place that Bethune-Cookman University has always been. I pray you.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up