Over the last few days there has been a succession of cars lined up outside the residences heralding the end of a school year. For the students, this has been an exciting year and many are filled with a sense of sadness that the drama and excitement of the first year at University is over: for some, the tantalizing prospect of summer jobs and summer travel awaits: and for some the long wait till next academic year has begun. It is amazing that another school year has come to an end.
For many of us, this has been a particularly tiring and sometimes tension-filled year. It is tempting to dwell on the challenges facing us. It is hard to see beyond the senseless tragedy in Virginia. But as you look back, the faculty, staff and students have once again achieved so much in so many different fields: in educating our students, in winning amazing awards and accolades, in completing ground-breaking research and in raising money for charitable causes.
As we begin to move from the winter to the summer semester, our hearts go out to the families and individuals who were traumatized by the events in Virginia. At home we will be focused on trying to keep our students, faculty and staff as safe as humanly possible. We will also start to look forward to a summer tidying up the research and teaching and – believe it or not – looking forward to the next academic year starting in September.