Dr. Fauci Sends Congratulations Video to 2020 Grads Including U of G | College of Arts

Dr. Fauci Sends Congratulations Video to 2020 Grads Including U of G

Known globally for his role in leading the Trump Administration's White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci has sent a video out to 2020 university graduates, including graduates at the University of Guelph.

 

Fauci is recognized as one of the world's leading experts on infectious disease. He has become a familiar face through his broadcasted public briefings addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and has even been praised as a national hero for offering trustworthy information on the facts of the disease and precautions to take.

U of G Prof. John Walsh, School of Languages and Literatures Classics, and his students contacted Fauci's office to see if he would like to say a few words as a part of their virtual graduation celebration knowing that he attended the College of Holy Cross, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics.

They were sent a video in response.

“We’re honoured that one of the most prominent Classics graduates in the world, now a lead member of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce, has sent virtual greetings and congratulations that we can share with our students,” said Prof. Samantha Brennan, dean of the College of Arts. The online graduation, organized by Walsh, his wife Mary Walsh, senior development manager with Alumni Affairs and Development, Walsh's students and U of G alumni, was held today for the 17 graduates.

In the video, Fauci talks about the difficulty of celebrating a graduation without personal contact and applauds how well graduates have been able to do this.

"Please hang in there. We need your talent, your energy, you resolve and your character to get through this difficult time," said Fauci in the video. "In the next phase of your lives, some of you will work directly to help us prevail over this pandemic. However, all of us directly or indirectly will be participants in the response whether we actually care for COVID-19 patients, do research to develop solutions or contribute as caring connected members of society."