Dear alumni and friends,
On behalf of Queen’s, I hope this letter finds you safe and well and that you and your family are adjusting as well as possible to this very difficult situation. It goes without saying that over the last number of weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has forced everyone here at Queen’s to change the way we work, the way we learn and the way we interact with our friends and neighbours.
But, even as physical distancing forces us apart from our loved ones, community remains at the heart of the Queen’s experience and, I have to say that, when I think of the work our alumni are doing right now in their communities, I have never been prouder to be a Queen’s grad.
There are two stories about alumni giving back to their community in this newsletter. I only wish it was possible to share all the stories of the tens of thousands of Queen’s alumni who are working to overcome COVID-19. But over the weeks and months ahead we will tell as many as we can. Watch our social media channels as we chronicle how resourceful, strong, and united by purpose your community – the Queen’s community – remains.
Here on campus, we have taken extraordinary steps to protect our students, our faculty, and our staff as we do our part to slow the progress of the virus. Most students have returned home. The notable exception to this is international students unable to leave due to international travel barriers – and we will of course continue to support these students on campus. Most classes are being taught remotely, and faculty and staff are also working remotely wherever possible. Please visit the Queen’s COVID-19 website for regular information updates.
I hope that we will look back on this as a time that brought out the very best in all of us, a time that pushed us to look beyond our normal definitions of family and community and be present for those who need us.
Our day-to-day lives have changed in ways that would have been hard to imagine just a few weeks ago. But amid all of the upheaval, I know you will continue to do what’s best, not just for yourselves and your families, but for all of us.
On behalf of everyone in the Queen’s community, thank you.
Sincerely,
Karen Bertrand, Artsci’94
Vice-Principal (Advancement), Queen’s University
