Dear Colleagues –

The pain, sorrow, and outrage of the last week in the United States has been profound. We are faced with yet another series of horrific events. The terrible, unwarranted death of George Floyd has again highlighted the long history of racial injustice in our country.

I echo the statement of President Katsouleas and Provost Lejuez that especially now, during a time when a global pandemic is disproportionally affecting African-American, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, and discrimination against individuals of Asian descent is rampant, it is especially important to reaffirm the commitment to our values of community, social justice, equity, and inclusion.

In this time of terrible pain, please continue to do what I know so many of you have been doing since the start of COVID-19: Reach out to your loved ones, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors. Ask how you can support them during this difficult time, and please take care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Juli

Juli Wade

Dean

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

University of Connecticut

215 Glenbrook Rd., U-4098

Storrs, CT 06269

---