To our alumni donors,
Whether you voted as a Republican or Democrat in the last election, no matter what your politics, no matter what state you’re living in now, no matter how you view the world, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the outpouring of interest and support that my colleagues and I have received in recent weeks as the funding matrix and norms at the Federal level take on new and uncertain forms.
Many of us have been dedicated to the cause of our institutions, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, academic freedoms, as well as the pursuit and acquisition of new knowledge.
Many of us have had to spend long hours and very late nights adjusting to and adapting to the new realities that are emerging and that peril the stability of our research programs.
Whether or not you support what this current administration is doing, I want to tell you, from my perspective as a faculty member, it is heartwarming to know that we have friends who are rallying to support their Alma maters. In these uncertain times, I am reminded of the scene in Lord of the Rings when the riders of Rohan come charging into Helm’s Deep, just as it seems hopeless for King Théoden and all of the civilians who are hidden there.
Like it or not, you are the riders of Rohan, the cavalry. And it gives me a lot of hope and a lot of strength and joy to think about how our current students, 30, 40, 50 years from now, might again be called upon to defend the institutions they value, even though our time as faculty will have long passed by then.
Sincerely,
Toby Ault