Moving Forward Together

Dear friends,

The outcome of last week’s national election has not changed our appreciation that we are in a deeply divided country. This moment reminds us of the importance of leaning into our mission as a liberal arts institution.

Here at Smith, we believe in acknowledging multiple perspectives, identities, ways of knowing, and experiences, and we are committed to: 

• Championing the rights and education of women;
• Ensuring financial accessibility to every student we admit;
• Stewarding with care and respect the land we inhabit, our consumption of its resources, and our relationships with our neighbors; 
• Fostering, welcoming, and celebrating the diversity of our campus; 
• Nurturing a community that aspires to inclusion, belonging, and justice; and
• Offering an unparalleled education, preparing our students to tackle the most vexing challenges through a rigorous and capacious undergraduate liberal arts curriculum and excellent graduate programs. 

While democracy is a system always under discussion, at its best, it requires two things: our participation and our acknowledgement of each other’s humanity.

Elections are but one vehicle to exercise our beliefs and perspectives. There are multiple ways to participate in democracy at every level of our society, from local to regional to national. For example, I encourage you to share your perspectives with others and to listen when others are sharing their perspectives with you whether in or outside of the classroom; interact with the Jandon Center for Community Engagement; join advocacy groups working on issues about which you care; contact your local elected officials to express your opinions on specific issues; seek out internships with them or consider running for an elected office yourself.

On this Veterans Day, I want to recognize all those who have served to protect democracy and those civilians who struggled for the right to share in the country’s governance and for the promise of a participatory ideal of democracy.

Warmly,
Sarah