Most people would describe me as a pretty serious person, so it might surprise them to learn that鈥撯�搘hile I still read law review articles sometimes鈥撯�揑 read a bunch more comic books! My mom took this picture when I was 5 years old. Each morning, she pinned a red towel to my shirt, and I became Superman. I鈥檇 ride my Big Wheel up and down the street, my cape furling behind me. As I got older, I put away the cape, but I still wanted to be a superhero. Years later, when my son, Ryan, was only 8 years old, I began taking him to see Marvel movies, and we watched all of them together.聽
Every great superhero story forces the superhero not only to confront a huge challenge (fighting a supervillain, saving humanity), but also to overcome a personal weakness. If the story were just about someone showing off their superpowers, then no one would be able to empathize with the character. In one of my favorite stories, Spider-Man was trapped in a collapsed building, battered and broken, and the question was not whether he could beat up a bad guy, but whether he would find strength in the darkness, carry on when no one would blame him for giving up, and lift an impossible load.
By that definition, SRS has a lot of superheroes.
The last nine months have posed so many challenges to our country and to CU 麻豆影院: COVID, financial uncertainty, social inequity聽and political strife. I鈥檓 so proud of how our SRS teams have found ways to face every obstacle, create solutions that no one would have imagined a year ago, and enable CU to fulfill its mission and enrich the lives of those whose study, research, work and live in our community. You鈥檝e done that while grappling with tremendous personal hurdles鈥撯�搃llness of friends and family, furloughs, remote work for some and in-person work for others, caring for children while schools are closed, addressing racism and discrimination in our own lives, and being isolated from those we care about. We鈥檝e lost much, and we need to recognize the hurt we鈥檝e felt, knowing that we鈥檝e gained strength and resilience.
When COVID struck our community, we put this newsletter on pause, but the time has come for us to bring it back. As we do so, I hope it serves two goals:
Right now, there鈥檚 someone training to climb Mount Everest, volunteering at a women鈥檚 shelter or serving as a kidney donor for a neighbor. I鈥檇 love to know your stories and hope that you will share them with us by clicking on the 鈥淪hare a Success Story鈥� link in our newsletter.
There鈥檚 one other thing that superheroes do: They provide hope. You have given me hope that we鈥檒l create a better, more inclusive workplace, hope that we can be kind to each other, hope that we can be strong in the face of adversity, and hope for CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 future.
As for the future, it is with gratitude and appreciation that I share with you today that I have accepted an offer from Chancellor Phil DiStefano to serve as the university鈥檚 chief operating officer on a permanent basis. I look forward to working with you all to advance our priorities and to develop solutions for many of the unexpected challenges life throws our way.
Thank you for all you鈥檝e done, all you鈥檙e doing now, and all that you鈥檒l do in the future. It鈥檚 an honor to serve beside you.
Pat