I can hardly believe it myself, but the end of the semester is quickly approaching! With the holidays on their way, and the added promise of snow in the coming months, I’m thrilled to be here for my first wintertime at UConn.

That said, I would like to invite our faculty and staff to join me and Provost Nicholls for UConn’s annual Winter Holiday Celebration, taking place this week. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, in the Rome Commons Ballroom on the Storrs campus, faculty and staff are encouraged to stop in between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. to celebrate together and to cheer on the teams entering in the annual Gingerbread House Decorating Contest.

As part of our celebration, I’d also like to ask you to help make a happier holiday for those in need beyond our community. Please consider bringing along items for our annual “Stuff the Bus” campaign, which will benefit food pantries, shelters, and veterans’ hospitals in the area.

It has been a fantastic fall semester so far, and I am personally thankful to everyone in our University community for making the start to my first academic year here so fulfilling. I know everyone at our University has been working hard – students, faculty, and staff alike – and the winter break will be a welcome respite (and, might I suggest, a great time to get started on the UConn Reads book!).

If you’re looking for any other details about the holiday event, please visit uconn.edu/holiday. I hope to see you there!

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