A message from the chancellor: We are built to do hard things
"So often, it feels like the world is coming at us too quickly, with problems and crises that can seem overwhelming. The point of joining a University like ours is to overcome that feeling, to do something meaningful about the challenges we all face. You’ll have plenty of friends and allies along the way."
Dear Carolina Community,
Everyone comes to Carolina with a purpose: to shape your own future and to help shape the world. For more than two centuries, people have come to Chapel Hill to learn, discover and answer the greatest challenges we face.
Like many of you, I was back in the classroom this week, welcoming the first session of a graduate class on higher education that I teach every fall. This semester, we have Ph.D. students who are studying climate risk models, adolescent mental health, civil rights and free speech, human trafficking, the biological impact of stress and a dozen other amazingly complex and important subjects.
It was a reminder that this University is built to do hard things — and so are you. I’m sure many of you are already looking at a full calendar, a growing to-do list or a syllabus full of reading assignments, wondering how to balance it all.
At least for me, it helps to remember that we’re here for a reason. People look to the University of North Carolina — to our brilliant faculty, our devoted students and alumni, to our dedicated staff — for insight and leadership in times of need. They trust that the graduates of this place have done the hard work, put in the hours and built the capacity to serve their fellow citizens and contribute to a better world.
Our aim is that every Carolina student will know how to grapple with the past, think critically about the present and have the confidence to shape the future. They’ll understand data and information, know how to make new discoveries and be ready to weigh ethical questions with rigor and empathy. Our new IDEAS in Action curriculum offers a thoughtful path through all of the marvelous things Carolina has to offer, and I hope you’ll spend some time exploring it.
So often, it feels like the world is coming at us too quickly, with problems and crises that can seem overwhelming. The point of joining a University like ours is to overcome that feeling, to do something meaningful about the challenges we all face.
You’ll have plenty of friends and allies along the way. All of the most important work at Carolina happens through collaboration, when people share ideas and build trust. The relationships you create here will define your experience and the rest of your life. And at every step, especially the tough ones, know that this University believes in you.
I’ve loved seeing your smiling faces out on campus this week. Whether you’re returning to a place that already feels like home or joining our community for the first time, we’re glad you’re here.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz
Chancellor
