Kelsey McCormick

Dear Lawrence Community,

I write to share important changes to Lawrence’s 2019 Commencement exercises on Sunday, June 9.

The venue for this year’s Commencement ceremony has been changed to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Downtown Appleton. The time of Commencement will remain as scheduled: 10 a.m. CDT. This change is required due to an unexpected complication with the Commencement tents and the condition of Main Hall Green resulting from an unscheduled infrastructure repair. We are confident that the PAC will deliver an excellent experience as we gather to celebrate the Class of 2019.

Seating capacity in the PAC’s Thrivent Hall, where the ceremony will be held, requires us to issue free tickets, which are free of charge, for in-person attendees. Each graduate will be issued 4 general admission tickets for their guests to be seated in Thrivent Hall. Graduates and faculty and staff who are a part of the Commencement procession do not need tickets. A web form to claim tickets will be sent directly to graduates in the coming days. Any unclaimed tickets will be made available to graduates on a first-come, first-served basis on or after May 15.

For those individuals who do not have a ticket, general admission seating will be available in the PAC’s Kimberly-Clark Theatre, where the event will be live-streamed. The livestream will also be available via the Commencement website at go.lawrence.edu/commencement.

We recognize that this news will impact the plans that many members of our community have already made for Commencement weekend, and we apologize for any inconvenience this change will cause. We will do all that we can to ensure that the weekend will be a memorable one for graduates and their families.

Please be sure to visit—and bookmark—go.lawrence.edu/commencement for current information. We will continue to update all relevant information, including a Commencement FAQ, on this page as it becomes available. If you have any questions regarding these changes or Commencement in general, please email commencement@lawrence.edu or call 920-832-6525.

The Lawrence community looks forward to celebrating the Class of 2019 during the entire weekend of events.

Yours,

Mark

Dear fellow Lawrentians,

I would love to simply welcome you back for spring term but again world events have taken center stage in our lives.  The break gave me, and probably many of you, time to contemplate the horrendous acts of savagery that took place in New Zealand at the end of finals week.  As the days unfolded, I watched with respect and admiration that country’s efforts to mourn and respond.  Fifty people died and as many were wounded by a gunman who invaded two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and shot congregants engaged in Friday prayers.  Sadly, these two attacks on innocent people singled out for their beliefs and identity reminded us of the many terrorist attacks that have come before, both in this country and around the world.  We dare not grow numb to this violence.

The people of New Zealand have shown us that we are all victims of these acts: we need to respond.  As Gamal Fouda, an Imam of one of the target mosques, said at a prayer vigil of over 40,000 held one week after the attack, “This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology that has torn the world apart – but instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable.”

In her responses to this tragedy Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, echoed Imam Fouda’s call for a universal view of these events.  In a comment soon after the attacks she said, “Many of those who will have been directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to New Zealand; they may even be refugees here.  They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home.  They are us.”

The Lawrence community will gather this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center’s Esch Hurvis room to commemorate the lives lost in the attack and to join other communities around the world in a clear statement that this violence has no place in our community and in our world.  As Prime Minister Ardern said, the response must be a “global one.”  “This [terrorist] was an Australian citizen, but that is not to say that we do not have ideology in New Zealand that would be an affront to the majority of New Zealanders, that would be utterly rejected by . . . the vast majority of New Zealanders.  But we still have a responsibility to weed it out where it exists, and make sure that we never create an environment where it can flourish.” 

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday and around campus in the coming weeks.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Campus Community,

I write today to inform you that we were recently made aware of a few troubling instances on campus that violate our community’s values.  Last weekend, hateful language directed at queer community members was found in a residence hall bathroom.  Earlier in the term, a student discovered a library book with hand-drawn swastikas, and a racial slur was overheard in an academic setting.  Bias incident reports were filed in all three instances, and our Bias Response Team is working with faculty and staff to develop strategies to address and prevent these actions in the future. 

Mutual respect, justice, and the dignity of all human life are core values of Lawrence University.  We do not tolerate hate speech or acts of intolerance.  As a community, practicing empathy towards our fellow Lawrentians is one of the most important actions we can take, remembering that the daily struggles of our peers and colleagues may not always be visible.  End of term stress can exacerbate any issues an individual is struggling with, so being kind to each other at this point in the academic year is even more important.  If you witness a bias incident, I encourage you to fill out a bias incident report  or to contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Campus resources are available if you need support processing these events.  Dr. Barrett can be reached through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.  Dean Morgan-Clement, Associate Dean Winston and Dr. Ratzman can be reached through the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.  Dean Lauderdale and the Residence Hall Directors, as well as Counseling Services and other members of the Student Life team, are available for students.  The Employee Assistance Program is available for faculty and staff.  I also encourage you to take advantage of the learning opportunities that are offered by these colleagues as we work to develop the skills that will ensure our campus community is one in which we can all thrive.

Thank you for joining me in our efforts to ensure a safe, respectful, and engaged campus for all.  Please feel free to contact me directly if I can provide additional support.  I hope you all have a successful end to winter term.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

I expect many of you, like me, were deeply troubled by yesterday’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, which has become a national spectacle of raw emotions, revictimization of an assault survivor, and political infighting.  These events tear at the fabric of our country and have direct implications for our own campus community.

For those of us whose own pain and trauma was resurfaced by yesterday’s testimony, we stand ready to support you.  Please reach out to the counselors at the Wellness Center at 920-832-6574 during business hours, the LU crisis line at 920-419-8167 or your Residence Hall Director.  They are here to help you in any way possible.  Also, for faculty and staff, our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) offers confidential counseling and can provide support and resources 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-222-8590. 

The Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education Committee (SHARE) will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, October 4 at 6 pm in the Warch Campus Center Cinema to discuss the University’s Title IX policies and procedures.  Sexual harassment and assault continue to plague our campus as well as society at large.  I encourage you to join me for this conversation next week.  We all play a role in guaranteeing our campus is safe for all.

Dysfunctional national dialogue, like what we witnessed yesterday, makes it that much harder for us, as a community, to analyze the important issues we face today from different perspectives.  I ask each of us to work to foster this dialogue that is essential to our learning process and to the future of this country and others around the world.

We are at a moment of national and local pain and animosity.  We must come together to discuss these difficult issues and to foster greater understanding and empathy.  Thank you for joining me in an effort to ensure a safe and engaged campus for all our community.

Yours,

Dear Lawrence Community,

I expect many of you, like me, were deeply troubled by yesterday’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, which has become a national spectacle of raw emotions, revictimization of an assault survivor, and political infighting.  These events tear at the fabric of our country and have direct implications for our own campus community.

For those of us whose own pain and trauma was resurfaced by yesterday’s testimony, we stand ready to support you.  Please reach out to the counselors at the Wellness Center at 920-832-6574 during business hours, the LU crisis line at 920-419-8167 or your Residence Hall Director.  They are here to help you in any way possible.  Also, for faculty and staff, our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) offers confidential counseling and can provide support and resources 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-222-8590. 

The Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education Committee (SHARE) will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, October 4 at 6 pm in the Warch Campus Center Cinema to discuss the University’s Title IX policies and procedures.  Sexual harassment and assault continue to plague our campus as well as society at large.  I encourage you to join me for this conversation next week.  We all play a role in guaranteeing our campus is safe for all.

Dysfunctional national dialogue, like what we witnessed yesterday, makes it that much harder for us, as a community, to analyze the important issues we face today from different perspectives.  I ask each of us to work to foster this dialogue that is essential to our learning process and to the future of this country and others around the world.

We are at a moment of national and local pain and animosity.  We must come together to discuss these difficult issues and to foster greater understanding and empathy.  Thank you for joining me in an effort to ensure a safe and engaged campus for all our community.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

Two weeks ago a member of our community was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident at the intersection of College Avenue and Lawe Street.  The injured member of our community has since been released from the hospital and police have arrested a suspect.  In response we have urgently asked the City of Appleton to accelerate long-discussed changes to the College Avenue and Lawe crossings.  The City and Lawrence have implemented a number of changes over the past several years.  But it is clear that crossing College Avenue continues to be a hazard for pedestrians.

Some of the changes we have requested have already been made, and there are more to come.  Last week, the City installed new crosswalk paint in the Lawe Street crosswalks (running east-west), and if weather conditions allow, a similar treatment will be applied to the College Avenue crosswalks (running north-south) in early November.  In the coming weeks, a new push button-activated warning light system will be installed in the mid-block crossings on College Avenue to reduce false activations of the lights.  The City also plans a retrofit of many of the overhead street lights from Drew Street through Meade Street as well as those on Lawe Street.  This change is anticipated to light crossings more effectively.

Lawrence has taken additional steps to improve visibility at the intersection of College Avenue and Lawe Street.  The grounds crew has been pruning trees near intersections.  Planning is underway to add pedestrian lighting at key points in the approaches to College Avenue.  The first of these lights are planned for the southeast corner of College and Lawe.  We are also exploring partnerships with local organizations to provide community education on driver responsibility and pedestrian rights.

It is clear that even when crossing in the crosswalks with traffic signals in our favor, we are not completely protected from inattentive drivers.  We must continue to be vigilant when crossing any street.  If you have suggestions, questions, or concerns about pedestrian safety, please direct them to Assistant to the President Jake Woodford (Jacob.a.woodford@lawrence.edu; or 920-832-6850).

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrence Community,

We have just completed our two-day accreditation site visit.  Thank you for your participation in these important discussions.  In my conversations with the leader of the HLC accreditation team, she shared how impressed she was by the Lawrence community—not only the high degree of participation in each of the sessions, but also with your thoughtfulness, candor, and willingness to meaningfully engage with the process.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend meetings and share insights with the accreditation team.  This was truly a community effort.

Now that the site visit is complete, our accreditation reviewers will be completing their report.  The reviewers will submit their final report and recommendation on accreditation to the Higher Learning Commission, which will then issue a formal decision based on that recommendation.  It will include information on what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve.  We anticipate HLC’s final report sometime this winter. 

Thank you again for the time and effort you invested in the accreditation process and in truly showcasing how thoughtful and engaged our community is.  I hope to see you during the many festivities of our inaugural Blue and White weekend.

Yours,

Mark

Dear Campus Community,

As you have likely heard from other sources, our every decade reaccreditation site visit will take place October 1-2.  Your voice is a critical part of the process. You can view the list of meetings and forums here.

·          There is a students-only forum taking place on Monday, October 1, from 4:30-5:15 p.m. in Warch Cinema.  

·         There are also additional meetings, including an open forum on diversity and campus climate that takes place on Monday, October 1, from 2-3 p.m. in Warch Cinema.

Please review the list of meetings.  I hope faculty, staff, and students can make time to attend sessions where you have thoughts and insights to offer.

Accreditation is a process that every major institution of higher learning undergoes every ten years.  It is a mark of quality assurance.  The preparation for our reaccreditation review has taken place for more than a year and includes herculean efforts by members of the Lawrence community to write and compile reports and evidence.  We are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and next week we will be visited by reviewers from the HLC as the final stage in the process.  More information about how accreditation works and links to the documents we submitted to the HLC are available here.

If you have additional questions, I encourage you to attend one of two town halls taking place this week on:

Wednesday, September 26

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Warch Campus Center, Nathan Marsh Pusey Room

Thursday, September 27

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Warch Campus Center, Nathan Marsh Pusey Room

For students who have general questions or concerns, there is an informal drop-in session:

Today, September 25

4-5 p.m.

Warch Campus Center, Arthur Vining Davis Room

You can also email accreditation@lawrence.edu with your questions.

I want to underscore how important it is that community voices are represented during the HLC reviewers’ visit.  Thank you for the work you do every day to make Lawrence a special place of learning and community.

Best,

Mark

Dear Campus Community,

Welcome to the new academic year.  I hope you had an enjoyable, restful, and productive summer.  Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming 425 first-year, transfer, and visiting students and new faculty and staff members who came to Lawrence from across the country and around the globe.  As we begin the fall term, I want to provide some updates on work from the summer as well as initiatives you can anticipate this year as we look to provide a more welcoming, collaborative, and safe learning environment for all.

Katie Kodat, provost and dean of the faculty, and Chris Card, vice president for student life, look forward to continuing the work they began last year with faculty, staff, and student members of the Emotional Well-Being Task Force.  Plans are underway for several “town hall” meetings during fall term to share insights and invite community discussion of strategies to increase creativity, balance, and rejuvenation, and reduce stress and anxiety. 

Kimberly Barrett, vice president for diversity and inclusion, and our Office of Research Administration are completing their analysis of last year’s campus climate survey.  Dr. Barrett will present findings during two Campus Climate Town Hall meetings on September 20 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and September 25 from 7 to 8:30 pm.  Both will be held in the Warch Campus Center Cinema.  These meetings will provide students, faculty, staff, and alumni opportunities to learn about survey results, ask questions and begin to formulate strategies to address needs identified by the data.  We hope you will make time to attend one of these sessions to help shape the next steps Lawrence will take to ensure the university is a place where everyone has a voice, feels they belong, and can reach their unique potential.

Summer is always a time of renewal for our campus facilities.  We completed a remodel of public spaces in Ormsby Hall, including bathrooms and kitchen, and put the final touches on updates in Sage Hall.  Memorial Chapel has received LED stage lighting as well as a number of other improvements to reduce its use of energy resources.  You will discover an expanded Kate’s Corner Store on the 2^nd floor of the Warch Campus Center, which will now include a new line of LU apparel.  Brokaw Hall received an exterior update.  Changes to the interior of Brokaw Hall are exciting too.  We are in the early stages of updates to the Registrar, Financial Aid and Financial Services areas, developing new spaces that support processes to integrate and further automate the services provided by those offices. 

The beginning of the new year is a time for all of us to recommit to creating a campus environment free of sexual harassment and assault.  Please become familiar with our updated SHARE (Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education) website.  We have also updated our faculty and staff policies which can be found in the new employee handbook here.  I want to thank the students, faculty, and staff who have worked together to improve our policies, procedures, and resources.  With your help, reporting incidents of sexual misconduct has increased.  SHARE will host a community town hall on October 4th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center Cinema to discuss the results of our latest student survey on sexual misconduct, answer questions about our process, and provide an update on the Department of Education’s proposed regulation changes.  Finally, we are about to launch a national search for a full-time Title IX coordinator.  Please visit the SHARE site for updates on progress. 

I hope to see you at Matriculation Convocation this Thursday, September 13 at 11:10 a.m. in Memorial Chapel.  This year I will address the ongoing debate about immigration and refugee resettlement with a talk entitled “Standing with the Statue of Liberty.”  I eagerly anticipate future conversation about this and other pressing topics that face this campus, this nation, and our world. 

We are embarking on a new academic year together, recreating our learning community here in Appleton, London and Björklunden.  Central to this effort is recognizing our shared humanity, respecting the right of all Lawrentians to engage critically with ideas, and celebrating the differences that enrich our educational environment and our world.  Lawrence is a special place because of the many people of myriad backgrounds and perspectives who live, learn, and work here.  I am grateful to be among you.

I look forward to seeing you at Matriculation Convocation if not sooner. 

Yours,

Mark

Dear Lawrentians,

Today at 6:01 pm we will join institutions across the country in solemn commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by ringing the Main Hall bell 39 times.  I hope this anniversary will provide a moment for us to reflect on Dr. King’s aspirations for us as a community and remind us of the work yet to be done.  In his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered the night before his death, Dr. King said: 

   “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness.  Let us stand with a greater determination.  And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be.  We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”

Yours,

Mark