Hello!
Greetings from the beach! My family is spending the last gasp of summer vacation together at one of our favorite beaches. This time together has been long anticipated throughout the months of COVID. My grown children enthusiastically dreamed up a trip theme complete with tie-dyed T-shirts and custom, themed cups. Pictures to follow!
A new school year is about to begin! In many areas of our country, students will be returning to school in-person for the first time in many months. I expect there will be a few bumps in the road but hopefully those bumps will be few and far between.
On campus, SU has been holding new student orientations and will soon be welcoming students back to campus for a new semester. It has been exciting to see the joy and anticipation on the faces of our newest Hornets! As the new academic year begins, live performances and lectures will take place on campus again. Shenandoah released their performance schedule and it looks to be an exciting season! I have missed live performances and plan to be on campus to attend events as often as I can.
In a few weeks I will pass the gavel of leadership to our current first vice president, Anne Lewis. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Alumni Association president and to represent you on the Board of Trustees for the past two years. When I began my term of office, I had no idea that our world would be thrust into the middle of a worldwide medical disaster. I am not sure any of us realized the scope of the havoc known as COVID. So many of us had to completely change the way we performed our everyday work and lived our lives. Virtual meetings, working from home, and virtual classes became the norm. I’m proud of the way Shenandoah responded and continues to respond to the pandemic.
I hope wherever you are, that you and your families are safe and well. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!
Warmly,
Susan Helsley
President, SU Alumni Association