August 27, 2024
Hi, everyone. Jim Ryan here. I’d like to begin by wishing all of our students, faculty and staff a great start to the semester. In that spirit, I’d like to share three hopes and two promises, one of which is a little unusual as we begin another academic year together.
My first hope is that you always remember that we share the bonds of a singular community and that you will show each other grace. Since 2020, when the pandemic hit, we’ve experienced some truly hard challenges on Grounds, including a devastating and tragic shooting that took the lives of three of our brightest stars and injured two others.
Last year brought divisions and some painful moments in the wake of the attack in Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. And yet I’ve seen our community time and again rise to meet the moment. I’ve seen extraordinary acts of kindness. I’ve seen courage and determination from those facing great challenges. I’ve seen deep empathy for those who are struggling. And I’ve seen an understanding and civility that, to be honest, isn’t found on every college campus these days. It’s my deepest hope that no matter what the year brings, we will continue to give each other the benefit of the doubt, to see each other as members of a shared community, to lend a shoulder or an ear to those who need it, to listen – truly listen to each other, and to give the gift of compassion whenever and however we can.
My second related hope, as I told our first-year students at Convocation over the weekend, is that you’ll stay curious, especially about each other. Find out someone’s story before you decide what they’re all about. Reach out to someone you haven’t met yet. This place is filled with people from literally around the world and every walk of life, each of whom has a story. Whether you’re living, working or learning here – or all three – I promise you’ll never regret learning someone’s story.
And, finally, I hope you’ll find joy here this year. There are many places and ways to find it inside and outside the classroom. Learn something new that has always interested you. Cheer on a sports team or go to a concert or play. Join your classmates and colleagues for Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn or for the Lighting of the Lawn. Go for a walk with friends or check out a Run With Jim. Laugh, cry or both at the Virginia Film Festival and the Virginia Book Festival. Come to a Carr’s Hill open house and meet our dogs, who I know would love to see you. In short, I hope you give yourself time and permission to seek and feel joy, despite the work ahead and the conflict and turmoil that is always a part of the broader world.
All right, so I mentioned two promises. Here is my first promise to all of you: I will disappoint you on occasion – not on purpose and hopefully not often, but some disappointment is inevitable, both because I’m imperfect and because I have to make hard decisions sometimes. I know you won’t always agree with what I do or what I say, but I can promise that I will always listen, consider different perspectives, and make decisions based on the only thing that has ever motivated me – what is in the best interest of the University, both in the short and longer terms. What is the right thing to do, in other words, for the entire community and not simply for one segment of it? There may not always be agreement on the answers to these questions. I can at least assure you that I will always do my best to discern the University’s best interests and that it will never be about me, which leads to my second promise.
I will do everything I possibly can to support this community. I care deeply about this place. I believe we have some of the very best faculty, staff, students and alumni anywhere. My job, at bottom, is to work with my colleagues and University leadership to help create the conditions for every member of our community to do their best work and to thrive.
I believe that UVA changes people and that it can, in turn, change the world. This is what drew me to UVA for law school in 1989. It’s what drew me back to teach here in 1998. And it’s what drew me back yet again in 2018 when I became president. I promise to work as hard as I can with all of you to help make UVA the best place it can possibly be. So good luck this year, and go Hoos.