Hello. I’m Sarah Mangelsdorf, the president of the University of Rochester.
We have been working hard to share updates with you through newsletters, emails, and
town halls, but I wanted to personally take a few minutes to share an update on what’s
happening at the University, and offer a few of my own thoughts about what
it means to be part of this University Community, especially now.
The past week here has been a busy one.
More than 400 undergraduates from hot spot states across the country arrived last weekend
to take part in a two week quarantine here, as mandated by New York State law.
The students have now settled in and seem to be bearing up pretty well.
Our Student Activities team has been very creative in developing a wide range of online
activities to try and provide engagement and diversion for our quarantining students.
It’s certainly not the best way to begin a school year, but we are all trying to make
it as positive an experience as possible under these strange circumstances.
Across Elmwood Avenue at the Medical Center, our researchers are engaged in a phase 3 trial of a COVID-19
vaccination study.
If the results are positive, this vaccine may be presented to the FDA for approval.
I am hopeful that the trial will be a success, and I’m both proud and grateful that the
University of Rochester is taking the lead in establishing ways to bring this devastating
pandemic to an end.
So that’s some current news.
Today I’d like to focus on our university community, and more specifically, our frontline
staff – our essential service providers and public-facing employees who have kept
the campus and our hospital functioning even when other employees have been working remotely.
These dedicated people come to work every day to clean our facilities and keep our grounds
beautiful and our medical labs and pharmacies going.
They prepare and provide food – and these days, food almost always comes with an extra
helping of physical distancing that requires extra steps to package and serve meals as
safely as possible.
They keep our campus and our people and our patients safe.
They work with vendors and suppliers to assure that we have enough face masks and hand sanitizer
available – and we need a lot of face masks and hand sanitizer.
They calculate air flow and move furniture to ensure that our buildings are optimally
prepared for occupancy under our strict physical distancing requirements.
They answer phones and return emails from parents and students from all over the world
who are trying to navigate an ever-shifting academic landscape.
They make websites and write updates to keep us informed, even when the facts can change
and new information develops on a daily basis.
They schedule virtual and physically distant events, like movie nights and yoga and cooking
classes, to provide the social connection that we all need to be healthy – both physically
and mentally.
They comfort the families of patients who are sick and they celebrate their fellow employees
for jobs well done.
They prepare dorm rooms and sanitize shuttle buses.
They even do laundry for those in quarantine.
They do all of those things and much more.
And they do it despite their own health and economic concerns, not only for themselves
but also for their families, loved ones, and friends.
And despite the uncertainty that we, as a society, are currently facing in almost every
aspect of our lives.
I have worked in universities almost all my adult life – long enough to know that a
university doesn’t run on its own.
People make it work, people who are often unseen and even more often not appreciated.
So today, I’d like to offer a “Thank you!” to my frontline colleagues at the
University of Rochester.
I know it’s been a long six months,
and I know we still have a long way to go,
but I also know that we won’t get there without you.
So, that’s it for now.
I hope to be with you on video again soon.
Until then, please stay healthy.