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February 2024
Dear Members of the Campus Community,
In my message to you in October, I began by talking about the experiences that trustees deeply value when they come to campus – time to talk with students, faculty and staff; the opportunity to immerse ourselves in campus life and learn about the incredible creative endeavors, scholarship, and learning that happens here every day; and a chance to see the progress the university is making towards achieving the strategic initiatives and goals necessary to evolve and strengthen the University of Puget Sound in a changing world. This remains true. However, as part of this post-meeting message, I want to reflect on our particular experience related to the disruption and takeover of the Pierce Lecture that occurred concurrent with our board meetings last week.
All of the trustees have had long relationships with this university whether it be as alumni and/or parents of students or alumni, and as dedicated volunteers and friends. What draws us back to the university is its commitment to its values and principles as a liberal arts institution. I’m very proud to belong to an institution that offered its community an event featuring our elected congressional representative, who was scheduled to talk about successfully building bridges across differences. I’m equally proud that, despite objections by some, Puget Sound showed the courage to move forward with the event.
What we saw from the protestors who disrupted last week’s lecture was not in keeping with the university’s values and principles. While faculty, staff, and students certainly have the right to protest and express disagreement with issues that concern them, a right which is imperative to a democratic society, this right is not absolute. Protestors do not have the right to infringe on the rights of others to speak and be heard – on campus or anywhere else – nor do they have the right to create a hostile environment for other campus members. I’m disappointed that protestors put staff and attendees’ safety at risk as they forcibly entered Schneebeck Concert Hall and intentionally and substantially interfered with the event, prevented the speech from occurring, knowingly infringed upon the rights of others, and intimidated attendees. Their actions resulted in an evacuation of the building and a cancellation of a speech that many wanted to hear.
Our community is capable and committed to the ideals in our mission and the actions taken were inconsistent with that mission and are not reflective of our community as a whole. I am especially disappointed because our faculty and staff work tirelessly to advocate for our students, counsel our students, and give more time and energy than I think students realize – all in an effort to guide them to be productive, thoughtful graduates who can foster civic leadership.
It saddens me that the work of the people at our university was disrespected by the very people they are here to serve. People were adversely affected during the event and that is unacceptable at an institution of learning and ideas. Speech was stifled that night, but I’m pleased to see that the planned remarks were shared with the campus community.
I am hopeful that we can find a way to move forward together and discuss divisive issues in a productive and civil manner. I and other trustees are committed to reflecting our values as Loggers and supporting and strengthening our ties to one another as members of the shared community of the University of Puget Sound.
While our first day on campus was not representative of who we know the Logger community to be, we did enjoy having the opportunity to connect with staff, students, and faculty on a personal level at several gatherings, and were thankful to have been extended an invitation to join the following events:
- ASUPS Reception. Trustees enjoyed the opportunity to join the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound (ASUPS) for a wine-tasting event at the Wilson Welcome Center.
- Celebration of Creative Inquiry. We also enjoyed talking with faculty and staff, as well as members of the Alumni Council Executive Committee, at the annual Celebration of Creative Inquiry. The evening included mini-Ted Talks offered by Professors Nicholas Brody, Pierre Ly, and Stacey Weiss, as well as an impressive compilation of recent faculty research, scholarship, and creative work.
- Class Visits. Trustees appreciated the opportunity to attend select undergraduate classes. Many thanks to Professors Brad Dillman, Priti Joshi, Douglas Sackman, and Seth Weinberger for inviting trustees into their classrooms.
- Workshop. It was inspiring to participate in an interactive workshop featuring the 2023-2043 Campus Master Plan, which highlighted the culmination of extensive collaboration, consultation, and thoughtful input from a wide cross-section of the campus community focused on ensuring that the university’s physical campus advances the realization of its mission and vision, Leadership for a Changing World Strategic Plan, and the associated strategies of A Sound Future.
In our business meeting, we heard from President Crawford and ex officio representatives to the board Faculty Senate Chair Elise Richman, ASUPS President Chloé Pargmann ‘24, Staff Senate Chair Kevin Kirner, and Alumni Council President Ted Meriam ’05, who also submitted written reports in advance of our meeting. As always, trustees appreciate this opportunity to hear directly from students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and the ways their diverse perspectives provide insight into the varied experiences of our campus community.
Highlights from the business meeting included:
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Strategic Plan. Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Lorna Hernandez Jarvis gave a presentation about the updated Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategic Plan, “Belonging: Choosing Equity and Engaging Inclusive Excellence.” We appreciate the collaborative work that went into rethinking and revising this plan to best meet the needs of our campus community and our goals for inclusion and belonging.
- 2024-25 President’s Initial Budget Recommendation. The board approved the president’s initial budget recommendation for 2024-25, and is grateful for the continuing work of the Budget Task Force to further refine the recommended budget in advance of the president’s final recommendation to the board in May 2024.
- Updated Campus Master Plan. The board adopted the proposed University of Puget Sound 2023-2043 Campus Master Plan, and looks forward to seeing the progress of the plan as it is implemented.
We were pleased to approve promotion and/or tenure recommendations for the following faculty members:
- Tenure: Andrew Kerkhoff (Biology)
- Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor: Regina Duthely-Barbee (English); Jairo Hoyos Galvis (Hispanic Studies); Hajung Lee (Religion, Spirituality, and Society); Jacob Price (Mathematics and Computer Science)
- Promotion to Professor: Nicholas Brody (Communication Studies); Shen-yi (Sam) Liao (Philosophy)
- 3-Year Assistant Review and Promotion to Clinical Associate Professor: Shelly Norvell (Occupational Therapy)
More information about the Board of Trustees and our work in support of Puget Sound can be found on our website. We look forward to returning to campus for our May meetings, and celebrating Commencement with the Class of 2024.
Sincerely,
Beth M. Picardo ’83, J.D. ’86
Chair of the Board of Trustees