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Happy New Year, and welcome back! I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant winter break and that you’re returning with renewed energy, ready for another great semester of learning in paradise.

We ended 2021 on a high note, celebrating the grand opening of the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence on the Boca Raton campus, receiving the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, and applauding the accomplishments of nearly 2,800 graduates at five fall commencement ceremonies. ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ also received a generous $2 million gift from emeritus professor and alumnus Eric Shaw, Ph.D., which will benefit various athletics, business, arts and letters, and other university programs; and a $500,000 gift from local philanthropist Kim Strauss to support our tennis program. For more on our successes in 2021, for a video recap of the year.

We have much to be excited about in the coming year, including our Week of Welcome activities today through Friday on multiple campuses; the on Saturday, April 2, which will raise funds for student scholarships while celebrating ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ’s 60^th anniversary; and the return of . Nolan Schanuel, a sophomore on the baseball team, already was named to the 2022 Perfect Game/Rawlings Preseason All-American team.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant during the past few weeks is a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over and all members of the university community have a shared responsibility to Protect Your Owl Family. Following safety protocols and public health recommendations will limit COVID-19 on our campuses, as well as locally and across the country. Visit the for additional information.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts last year, ¹ú²ú×ÔÅÄ is once again listed among the nation’s best public universities in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings. This university has become known as a place where every student can succeed, regardless of their background, and we’re very proud of that. I look forward to working with you to make 2022 our best year ever. Go Owls!