Letter from the President

To the Class of 2020 ,

We’ve never experienced times quite like these. During the past few months, we have seen a global pandemic shut down our world. We have watched as governors across the nation issued Stay at Home orders, closed businesses, and shuttered schools. Throughout higher education, we saw colleges shut down physical campuses and transition to distance education models. These last few months have not only challenged our nation, but impacted the final semester of your academic experience here at Dunwoody.

This is not the first time Dunwoody alumni have met challenges. Founded in 1914, Dunwoody opened the doors to its current campus in 1917, just as the United States joined World War I. One year later, the Spanish Swine pandemic ravaged our country. After the Roaring Twenties, the nation went into the Great Depression, followed by World War II. During the next several decades, we faced the Korean Conflict, the nuclear arms race, the space race, the Civil Rights movement, and prolonged military action in Vietnam. These and many other events challenged this institution, our graduates, and our nation.

Graduates, you are finishing your education and entering the field during one of the most challenging environments many of us have ever experienced. Despite all this, I have all the confidence that you will succeed.

You’ve already overcome so much. Midway through your final semester, the global pandemic forced Dunwoody to move all of its course work online. That temporary change turned into a semester-long switch as Gov. Walz extended the Stay at Home order. That meant missing the personal connections that comes with being on campus — the hands-on shops and labs and the ability to stop into the Elftmann Student Success Center and hang out with classmates. At the same time, the K-12 system moved to online learning, making many of you stay-at-home teachers and tutors for your children. The economy shut down, and some of your households felt the financial squeeze of layoffs or reduced hours.

We all went through an emotional rollercoaster as we had to process daily COVID-19 response updates, infection statistics, the mounting loss of life, and confusing information about the crisis. At the very moment so many of us felt overwhelmed, you stayed committed to your dreams. You endured this crisis and found the fortitude to finish your education — a rigorous Dunwoody education. That’s why we all have confidence in you. Everything you did to finish this semester demonstrated the very discipline, dedication, and commitment that have now prepared you for success in a very different and difficult world.

Now, the world needs you more than ever. We need you to keep industry moving, to help restart the economy, to fill the talent gap, and to drive growth.

We need you follow in the footsteps of the Dunwoody alumni before you and go into the world and help repair what is now broken. To use your education to build a better world.

Together we are Dunwoody strong! Together we can build a better world.

Rich Wagner, Ph.D. President, Dunwoody College of Technology