A Word from the President

A little more than a year ago, life as we knew it forever changed.

On March 17, 2020, Stanislaus State transitioned to remote operations after state offials issued a stay-at-home order in an effort to quell the escalating spread of COVID-19.

At the time, many of us thought that we would return to our beautiful campus — and to our regular lives — after a few months. We had no idea what was ahead: an unrelenting global pandemic that would take the lives of half a million people in the United States and thrust our nation into a downward economic spiral.

It is hard to believe a whole year has passed. The upheaval created by the pandemic certainly distorted our sense of time. But living through this unprecedented time did something else.

It boosted our resilience. It drove us to get more creative in teaching and providing our students with a rich academic experience. It expanded how we deliver critical services and resources and improved our problemsolving skills. It strengthened our patience and enhanced our compassion.

Our devoted faculty and staff ent above and beyond the call of duty to keep the University functioning. Alumni, donors, partners, community members and friends of the University stepped up to support our students and programs. And our students demonstrated inspiring and amazing perseverance and undeterred strength. We channeled our collective energy to keep moving forward.

That sense of optimism and forward momentum was the genesis for a new initiative launched this spring called Next UP: Forward Thinking @ Stan State. Next UP is a series of interactive forums, videos and articles that will feature the ongoing achievements, accomplishments and distinctive work by our faculty, students, staff and administators. Next UP illustrates that despite numerous challenges, our campus community has not allowed the pandemic to deter us.

And, for that, I am forever grateful.

Warmly,

Ellen