Dear LSA Community,
As we launch the next academic year, I am mindful about new possibilities and fresh starts.
To our new community of graduate students: Congratulations. You are embarking on journeys that will lead to academia, civil society, domestic and international policy, and other paths.
For our new professors: Welcome to this academic calling!
For those who mentor, lead committees, and take seriously the calling that we engage in service to our institutions and society: Thank you. Your contributions are invaluable.
And for our colleagues who are turning the page, preparing for emeritus status: Please know that we are grateful to you for your years of wisdom and support. We look forward to your continued sage contributions to our society.
As we embrace the importance of maintaining hope and optimism, even in the most difficult times, I recognize the challenges brought by this new beginning. As the academic year ended in May, students engaged in anti-war protests were arrested on campuses across our nation and the world. Whether we will see the same this term is not certain. Books were banned, burned, and dumped in various states. And it still remains the case that the education one receives from the very start of life is determined by zip codes and where one is born.
For the parents in our community: I know all too well that this time of year is a mixed blessing. The start of the term is one of growth for the young people in our lives. However, that excitement is buttressed by the yet unresolved matters related to safety and gun violence. The challenge you—and we all—face in being hopeful while also mindful is the task of our times.
For me: This time of year brings me back to childhood and the stack of books that I clung to. As I reflect on the immense joy of my maternal grandmother reading to me, I am reminded that she was born in a state, Mississippi, where learning to read, write, and count were all banned if you were Black. There is much to ponder in that.
I close with gratitude for the privilege of presiding over our dynamic association, as well as an urgent appeal for us to honor and protect the fundamental human right to learn.
My best,
Michele Goodwin