February 28, 2023 My February Blog: “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” Dear Baruch Community, The devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria killed tens of thousands of people, war is still raging in Ukraine, and the national
political discourse is more divisive and destabilizing than ever. Various forms of violence threaten communities and result in the senseless loss of lives with an astonishing 80 mass shootings in the U.S. since the start of the new year.
Covid-19 remains a presence in our lives. The negative impacts of climate change are mounting even faster than scientists previously predicted. And, before last night, New York City had broken records for its longest snowless winter,
with the season maintaining an eerie and unsettling sense of gloom—as if the world no longer works in ways we can comfortably rely upon.
Poignantly, public confidence in American higher education is at an
all-time low.
The Chronicle of Higher Education found that, while still polling above 55%, “[p]ublic confidence in higher education’s ability to lead America in a positive direction has sunk steeply in recent years, falling 14 percentage points just since 2020.” And
according to an Association for Governing Boards survey, reasons cited for the waning confidence in higher education ranged from “Too expensive”; “Students not properly educated”; “Not relevant”; “Unable to find employment”; to “Overall quality going down.”
Closer to home and inside our own system—with the pandemic federal aid receding and enrollment dwindling in the Northeast—another
system-wide budget crisis is lurking in the background. Budget issues are nothing new, yet they can be stressful and disorienting. At times like this, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves why we do what we do.
In my February blog post, “When
the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going,” I share my steadfast appreciation of
the strong character of our community—our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—and my belief in Baruch’s vital mission and its distinctive strengths, which we shall leverage for our future.
Please join this timely conversation—comment, subscribe, and sign up for blog notifications. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, S. David Wu President, Baruch College |
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