Dear UVM community,

Later today Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. And after one hundred years of women securing the right to vote, Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as the first female vice president and the first woman of color in this important role.

At this conclusion of an election cycle that focused on divisions among us, we are called to come together in support of our nation.

It is at times like these that I am grateful to work in higher education, and especially proud to be a member of the University of Vermont community. Not only because of the promise I see in the special kind of student who selects UVM, but also because of the clear-eyed guidance that comes from those who were so integral to our past. “The past enlightens the present,” as Yale history professor Timothy Snyder wrote in the New York Times recently. UVM’s past offers a beacon that is particularly bright.

The motto of our state, “Freedom and Unity,” penned by our university’s founder, is just one example. It speaks to the need for us to balance personal freedom with the common good. This is a challenging task, one that asks us to weigh interests often at odds with one another. But we have shown it can be done, most recently through the way we successfully maintained operations through the pandemic, and every day as we strive to live by the values articulated in Our Common Ground.

UVM graduate John Dewey’s profound belief in democracy provided an ethical guidepost to our nation in the formative years of the 20th century. And he continues to inspire the critical connection between education and a civil society. We can take heart in his vision.

And Andrew Harris, who in 1838, became the first African American to graduate from UVM, embodied the bravery and determination required to become at a very young age an accomplished and powerful voice in the abolitionist movement.

More recently, Kesha Ram ’08 became the first woman of color elected to the Vermont Senate and Taylor Small ’16 became the first openly transgender woman elected to the state’s House of Representatives. Their achievements underscore that, despite the challenges we face, progress continues.

Our university is home to, and plays host to, some of the brightest thinkers of our time. Leaders like National Medical Association President Dr. Leon McDougle, who will join us this evening as part of the celebration honoring the visionary Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Together, we confront challenges—and uncomfortable truths—like the racial inequities in healthcare highlighted by both Dr. McDougle and Dr. King. And together, we will craft solutions using the tools of education and civil discourse.

As I reflect on all of this, I remain confident about the months to come. Our democratic framework is intact, and the educational system necessary to support our democracy is strong and thriving despite the challenges the pandemic imposed. Our nation, and our university, are built on firm foundations. This is something we all can celebrate.