Students, Faculty and Staff,

Greetings, and welcome to April — the last month of the semester, not including Finals Week. But this month is also significant for other reasons.

It is Celebrate Diversity Month. Established in April 2004, Celebrate Diversity Month is a time to celebrate the illustrious differences that shape us as a College. From students, staff, and faculty to patients and families, our diversity allows us to be dynamic in the ways we serve our community.

It is also National Minority Health Month. This year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and its partners are highlighting the important role individuals and organizations can play in helping to reduce health disparities and improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. 

The theme for National Minority Health Month is “Give Your Community a Boost,” and I’d like to use this space to once again encourage everyone to get vaccinated and/or get your booster shots.

These are some of the strongest tools we can use to protect communities from COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected communities of color. CDC data show that some racial and ethnic minority groups — particularly Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native people — are at increased risk of getting sick, having more severe illness, and dying from COVID-19.

We in the College align ourselves with this theme and encourage all of you to Give Your Community a Boost. This is how we will continue to distance ourselves from this pandemic.

Continue to respect your neighbors and peers. Continue to celebrate our diversity in all that we do.

And continue to stay healthy and well,

Scott