Messages from the President

Dear Western Community:

Happy New Year, and welcome back to campus!  I hope that you had the opportunity to rest and recharge over the holiday break, spend time with family and friends, or just enjoy some downtime between quarters.

Last fall I stated my commitment to listening and learning from you, the students, faculty and staff who are Western, and to expanding my understanding of Western’s strengths as well as the areas in which we can aspire to be better.…

Dear Western Community,

I welcome everyone back from Thanksgiving break and hope that you had a relaxing and enjoyable time with family and friends.

As I took time during the break to reflect on my first four months at Western I could not help but give thanks for this new community that Uzma and I are privileged to call home.  The weeks prior to the break showed us what this Western community is all about, one in which students, faculty and staff reach out…

Dear Western Community,

Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to talk with numerous students, faculty and staff. I have appreciated those conversations where they have expressed their sentiments and heartfelt emotions. I have also appreciated the peaceful gatherings, conversations and forums in which our students have engaged during this time.

Nevertheless, several students and members of the Western community from diverse backgrounds and identities have shared with…

Dear Western Community,

Our democracy spoke yesterday as it elected Donald Trump to be the 45th President of the United States.  His election concluded a highly contentious and bitter campaign that sadly divided our nation like no other in recent memory.  The divisive campaign is over…and we need to start the process of healing and bringing together our communities on our campus and in our nation.

I want to acknowledge feelings of disappointment, confusion,…

Dear Western students,

As you are preparing to have a great time on Halloween weekend, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you to take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and be good neighbors in your interactions with the greater Bellingham community. 

We hope and expect that you will make good decisions this weekend, but we encourage you to think about more than just your own choices.  Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, make sure to be…

Dear Western Community:

Creating and sustaining a campus that is diverse, inclusive, and welcoming to every single member of our Western community is absolutely central to our mission as a university. During the past academic year Western, with important leadership contributions from our students, has engaged with new urgency in conversations about advancing those goals with concrete action and renewed commitment. As a result of those conversations, a number of new initiatives have…

Dear Western Community:

Last Fall we provided an update on a number of new diversity-related initiatives at Western.  As we approach the end of our strategic planning process and begin implementation of the plan in the New Year, one thing is clearer than ever: creating and sustaining a more diverse, welcoming and inclusive community for current and future students, faculty and staff is absolutely central to advancing our mission as a university.  For, at the core of that…

Dear Western Community:

Friday evening a tragedy occurred at the Cascade Mall in Burlington that impacted lives throughout Skagit County and beyond.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the five victims and the countless others who were impacted by this senseless and horrific action.

Our Western community has been affected by the event in ways that will not be in the news or in ways one would not normally think of.  Some of the victims have ties to…

Dear Western Students:

Although the official start of classes is still several weeks away, I want to take advantage of this quiet time to personally welcome you to the 2016-17 school year at Western! Like many of you, I am also new to this wonderful university and to Bellingham, having just started my official duties as president on August 1. My wife Uzma and I have enjoyed learning our way around campus and our new hometown, meeting new people, and learning firsthand…

Dear Western Community:

This morning I arrived for my official first day at Western, and I can’t overstate how excited I am to finally be at work here on campus.  Since we moved to Bellingham two weeks ago, Uzma and I have been getting to know our way around, enjoying the beautiful summer evenings in Boulevard Park, and generally attending to all the little details of daily life one must after a move.  Last week I also attended a new presidents workshop hosted…