It's time to be big

Last night, as part of Gordon's Annual Meeting, Dr. Thomas López shared this video recap of the year.

Afterwards, she explained:

We did talk about whether this video was too much... and we went with it. One, the Annual Meeting is family, and you can be a little over-the-top with family. 

But also, let’s face it: isn’t it time that Gordon was a little big, a bit bold, a little over-the-top? 

If we truly believe that our students are the ones who are going to take on climate change, poverty, racism, homophobia and transphobia, our divided politics, and more, isn’t time we stopped being the “best kept secret” in Providence? 

Let’s be clear: being big and bold isn’t about our ego. It’s not even about standing apart from our competitors. It’s about knowing what it will take --what it will really take-- to create a more just and sustainable world.

That phrase may sound familiar as it comes from our vision statement for our strategic plan: Together, we create now the just and sustainable world we want for our future. 

If this video we just watched is a celebration of the work of this past year, our strategic plan is a vision of the joyous work ahead. In September, we’ll unveil that plan, but now I did want to take a moment to thank everyone in this room from trustees, to faculty and staff, to alumni, and parents (both current and former) for your contributions, input, suggestions, critiques throughout this strategic planning process. 

Our hope is that when you see the final product you will see your individual imprint and feel our collective impact.