Dear Campus Community,
In our 75 years as a university, it is safe to say that we have never held a convocation ceremony quite like this one.

Our virtual format prompted us to reimagine convocation and to invite on board a slate of speakers who we hope will inspire and energize you for the year ahead.

This pre-recorded event can be watched at your convenience by clicking on the video embedded below. It feature speakers who consider the meaning of resilience from historical, cultural, anti-racist, contemporary and futurist perspectives. We hope that these stories of resilience set the tone for our 75th-anniversary year, when we will create a new framework for racial equity and reimagine core concepts of service and community. Thank you to all of our convocation speakers for participating and for sharing your ideas and hope.

PSU has been resilient since our very beginning 75 years ago as an institution that was established to serve GIs returning from World War II. We were resilient in surviving and thriving in the aftermath of a flood that destroyed our first campus. And, we have been nothing if not resilient over the last six months in our continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and through our efforts to forge a pathway to eliminate racism and advance social justice on our campus.

Together with Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion Ame Lambert, we encourage you to register for the upcoming Equity Summit: Envisioning and Creating a Just and Equitable PSU. We are excited to spend Oct. 30 visioning and planning for our racially just and equitable future.

Faculty and staff, welcome to the 2020-2021 academic year. We are grateful for the dedication and compassion you show our students, and we look forward to a year of learning, creativity, and discovery.

Sincerely,
Dr. Stephen Percy, President
Dr. Susan Jeffords, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs