Happy Holidays! As campus quiets and we look toward festive gatherings, religious celebrations, and warm evenings by the fire, I offer my deepest gratitude to each of you as dedicated members of the CHASS community who have stood firm in the face of strong national headwinds facing higher and liberal arts education.
This past year started with immediate concerns about ICE appearing on campus. Challenges crossing national borders remain a reality for many every day in Detroit and Windsor. The Southwest Detroit community and many others around the city confront these fears of deportation daily whether traveling to work, going to the grocery store, or walking to school. International students struggle to attain visas to study in the US. July 2026 will bring new federal student loan restrictions that will constrain access for many who need financial support to attend college. AI poses a real threat to knowledge production and how we understand teaching and learning. Gun violence continues as Brown University closed after a shooting this past week.
Shards of light, however, penetrate this darkness to grant us vision to see hope on the horizon.
On the morning when Detroit woke to the news about the mass shooting motivated by anti-Semitism on Australia’s Bondi Beach, the Jewish community here prepared to begin Hanukkah by lighting the first candle on the giant Menorah erected annually in Campus Martius. Diverse faiths and cultures intersect in this downtown Detroit park. There is a Christmas tree recognizing Christian traditions and a huge Kinara to celebrate Kwanzaa. Embracing the strength that we derive from our differences as humans offers us a point of connection from which to build the solidarity that empowers communities.
We in CHASS believe that diversity is our strength which we practice through radical hospitality. In this spirit, I hope that you find quiet moments of reflection on the positive forces in your lives. In this way, together, we will navigate the path ahead by always reaching for the magis, the more, and believing in the radically transformative power of education.
I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a bright, joyous new year! See you in 2026!