As we enter the holiday season and reflect on the events of the year, there is much to be thankful for, I am proud to say.
It is important for all of us to step back and take a moment to recognize what we have accomplished, both individually and collectively as a campus community.
The College of Charleston persevered through a tremendous challenge and disruption, and we will come out of the pandemic stronger than before.
Together, we have a lot to celebrate, such as a remarkably high retention rate, the largest freshman class in school history, several conference and national championships from our athletics teams, a record philanthropic year and the ongoing high-caliber scholarship, research and publication of our faculty. It is incredible to think of all of that achievement across campus despite the limits placed on us due to the pandemic!
I want to again express gratitude to our College of Charleston Foundation and the Board of Trustees for their investment in and acknowledgment of our faculty and staff through the one-time bonus program recognizing everyoneโs hard work.
Through it all, I am most proud of how our faculty and staff have responded on a daily basis and found new, creative ways to accomplish their work in order to deliver on our academic mission. There were many things forced upon us, but we have always made the best of them and kept going.
You donโt reach your destination by stopping. You keep going, even if the progress seems slow. You keep pushing forward. I believe we have and we still are โ always and steadfastly advancing.
And that is something for which we can all be thankful.
Andrew T.ย Hsu,ย Ph.D.
President
College of Charlestonย ย