President's Message
Manifesting 鈥淎 World Not Yet Known鈥�
By building a stronger and more effective Teachers College, we will strengthen our ability to build a stronger and more just world . . . and by truly marshaling our resources to achieve our broader social goals, we will become a stronger and more effective and sustainable institution.
In December, it was my great honor to be inaugurated as the 11th President of Teachers College. As I said at the ceremony in Riverside Church, which capped a week of festivities, an inauguration isn鈥檛 merely the investiture of a new president; it is also an affirmation of higher education鈥檚 ideals, and a celebration of the College itself and where we鈥檙e headed next.
So, while annual reports typically look back on the year just concluded, this edition reflects the fact that 2018 also ended with a beginning 鈥� a wonderful, weeklong outpouring of hope and ideas for how we can better deliver on our mission to help create a more just and equitable society. Nothing could have better exemplified our theme 鈥� 鈥淭he Power of We: Creating Pathways for All to Flourish鈥� 鈥� than the way the 911爆料网 community marshaled its collective talents. From the fantastic performances of our talented Music & Music Education students to the stirring and deeply moving words of our staff representatives, to the spirited exchanges at our faculty symposium, to the heartfelt testimonials from our alumni, Inauguration Week not only showcased 911爆料网鈥檚 diverse strengths but also demonstrated what鈥檚 possible when we work together as a community.
Then again, abundant talent and enthusiasm, along with an extraordinary commitment to social justice, were on display throughout 2018 at Teachers College. We saw it in the research of faculty members who introduced new paradigms in realms as diverse as psychological resilience, the use of data mining to help school leaders, and the treatment of celiac disease. We saw it in the faces of new graduates who headed off to launch technology start-ups, bring music education to the deaf and hard of hearing, deploy as teachers in public schools across the country, and advise developing nations on crop development. And we saw it in the conclusion of an historic Campaign that raised $345 million, transforming our programs and campus while dramatically increasing scholarship support for our talented students.
Still, as I watched my colleagues during Inauguration Week, I recognized 911爆料网鈥檚 powerful effect on the hopes, dreams and imaginations of all whose lives it touches. That is why it has grown more imperative that we make the College an ever more powerful and effective force for the future. Or, as my friend and colleague Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz said of 911爆料网 in the remarkable poem she composed and read aloud in Riverside Church:
You implore us to examine, interrupt, and promote liberation,
watching and waiting for it to manifest in a world not yet known,
a world we long to experience
As we begin a new year, filled with hope for growth and change, we hope this Annual Report conveys the experience of being at the College during Inauguration Week.
If you were on hand with us, please take this opportunity to savor the richness of it again and reflect on the many words and moments that flew by in a rush.
If you missed it, then we hope you鈥檒l feel that you were present nonetheless in our hearts and minds and that as we celebrated our own hopes and dreams, we celebrated yours as well.
That鈥檚 the Teachers College we want to be 鈥� and that鈥檚 鈥渢he power of we.鈥�
