Welcome to the 2024 Spring Semester
January 22, 2024
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Welcome to the first week of classes in 2024! I hope you enjoyed the break and had the opportunity to unwind after a busy and challenging fall semester. For those of you who remained on campus for winter study, I hope that it was productive and that you, too, found moments to relax. More importantly, I hope that you are energized for the work ahead.
As for me, I spent a few days over the break in my hometown of Los Angeles visiting family and friends. Although my home is now here in New England, I do enjoy the opportunity to return to sunshine and my West Coast roots from time to time! I then traveled to Phoenix for the NCAA’s annual convention, where I serve on the Division III Presidents Council. At the convention, we approved a new DIII Philosophy Statement that rearticulates our commitment to providing outstanding experiences for our scholar-athletes. I also traveled to Florida for fundraising as we demonstrate our community’s commitment to being “All In” for Trinity. We have raised more than $357 million to date, and we certainly are not stopping there!
However, there is no better feeling than the return of our full, on-campus community in Hartford at the beginning of a new semester. We demonstrate our value each and every day at Trinity as we educate bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives, led by remarkable faculty. After all, our people are what make Trinity so special and allow our historic campus to come to life. I’m excited to see you on the Long Walk, at academic and cultural activities, and in the sports arenas, and perhaps we will discuss a few books I read—or you read—over the winter break.
You’ll notice upon your return to campus that we’ve begun construction on the Ferris Athletic Center renovation project, designed to boost campus wellness and recreation while offering new support for our highly competitive athletics programs and talented student-athletes. As a side note, our sports teams have been excelling over the winter break. Go Bants! Wellness also is an important part of life at Trinity, and I’m excited to see the renovation move forward.
This spring, we’ll conclude the celebration of the College’s Bicentennial with several signature events and special occasions. We promised a full year of celebration for our community, and we are delivering. I’d like to extend my appreciation for the support and engagement we experienced through our Bicentennial events this fall, and I’m excited to carry that momentum forward into our Bicentennial celebrations this spring. This includes free movie screenings at Cinestudio, special athletic contests and receptions, and the Bicentennial Symposium on February 28. We will present the first President’s Medal for Science and Innovation to Eric Fossum ’79, H’14 as part of the symposium. On May 11, our Bicentennial celebration will end with a gala at the Connecticut Convention Center. It will honor the 200-year partnership between Trinity and the City of Hartford by raising funds for financial support for Hartford students to attend Trinity and to proudly call themselves Bantams.
Now, I feel it’s important to provide an update on our work to model a civil, engaged learning community. Last fall, I was inspired by the care of our community in the wake of global conflict and unimaginable pain and atrocities. It reached home when one of our own students was shot in Vermont and will continue to hit home for those with direct connections in the Middle East. As we come back together this spring, we are filled with purpose and an eye toward progress. We will continue our tradition of deep learning through differences, listening with empathy, articulating different points of view without animosity, and modeling for society how to bridge divides. We recognize that shaping a brighter future is not the project of any one person or group but the hard work we must invest in, together. As I said in my Convocation speech last fall, a liberal arts education continues to be the antidote for a cynical, polarized culture of outrage.
Today, it’s clear higher education must continue to work to promote a stronger campus culture where students from all backgrounds can learn and thrive. While Trinity has become a leader in this space and we’ve made substantial strides as a community, I also appreciate that the work is far from complete. We will keep you posted throughout the semester on the work of the Task Force on Campus Climate, which is expanding, and how we continue to promote an inclusive learning community.
The spring semester always brings hope and, of course, with time, warmer weather. I wish you an engaging and fun semester ahead, filled with personal and professional growth. I look forward to hearing more about your many accomplishments this spring.
We have the power to make this the best spring semester at Trinity in 200 years!
Onward,
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience
