President Marc Tessier-Lavigne: Thank you

Dear members of our Stanford community:

As we close our Fall Quarter, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your tremendous work not only this fall, but over the last nine months since the start of the pandemic.

To our faculty, staff, and postdocs: I’m grateful for your resolve and dedication in accomplishing your work, whether caring for patients and our community, rethinking university operations and standing up complex testing programs, or advancing our mission of education and research under extraordinary circumstances. We consciously extended our winter closure from two weeks to three in recognition of everything you have accomplished under difficult circumstances. While I know that not everybody will be able to take this full time off, I hope that all of you are able to take some time away for a restful and restorative break from work.

To our students: Whether you’ve been on-campus or remote, you’ve shown remarkable flexibility in adapting to new modes of learning and research since March. You’ve also found new ways to connect with and support one another. I am grateful for your perseverance, and I hope that you, too, have the opportunity to take a relaxing break from your studies.

Each of you has worked to reimagine our Stanford community, and your own role within it, for this difficult moment. Many of you have done so while working as caregivers, managing additional family responsibilities, or navigating the other unique hardships that this pandemic has brought. I am profoundly grateful for your dedication and hard work during this challenging time.

Our world has undergone tremendous change this year. But Stanford has always had a role to play in envisioning a better world, and then working to make it a reality. Your contributions this year – from adapting your work and studies to these extraordinary times, to sharing your ideas for how we can make our university more just and equitable – are helping us work toward a brighter future in the years ahead.

I am deeply grateful that I have had this community to walk with through these challenging times. May the holiday season bring you warmth, joy, and the promise of a better year ahead.

Best wishes,
Marc Tessier-Lavigne