Again, Wesleyan's academic leadership was impressive. I was very proud of our students, staff, and faculty as they pitched in to help with the shelter and also to help clean up the campus a few days later. As a result of Plains Pride's petition to be recognized as an official student organization, a series of unconscionable events occurred, placing several people in the face of harassment and physical danger. Rather than succumbing to destructive internal dissidence, the campus came together in support of the principle that on a university campus, people must be able to express differences in ideas without fear of harassment or harm. No other stance is possible for a university.
Technology is a gateway to the world and to each other.
It does not distance us, but gives us new opportunities to come closer together. In addition, we have an obligation to prepare our students to be literate and able in the technology of their chosen fields as they graduate and enter jobs and careers or go on to graduate and professional schools. One necessary to providing an honors quality liberal arts education for our students. The establishment of the Strategic Planning and Priorities Council gives us a coordinating structure for on-going strategic planning. These are all Carnegie Baccalaureate I colleges and universities with which we will be able to compare ourselves and against which we can track our progress toward goals we set for Wesleyan as we position ourselves strategically for liberal arts university leadership in the 21st century.