headshot of CWRU President Barbara R. Snyder
President Emerita Barbara R. Snyder

Looking forward to a new semester, and back on a year of achievements

To the Case Western Reserve Community:

Welcome to the start of one of the most eventful spring semesters in recent memory. Not only is Provost Ben Vinson III’s Think Big strategic planning process ramping up quickly, but faculty and staff from our dental medicine, medicine and nursing schools are preparing to move about a mile west to the new Health Education Campus this spring. Plus, later this month we will have tallied the final results of our Forward Thinking capital campaign, which came to a close at the end of 2018. Also, for those who might have missed the news Jan. 2, Timothy Beal is interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, succeeding Cyrus Taylor, who resigned in late December.

This week, we open our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration with the MLK Convocation featuring photographer and video artist LaToya Ruby Frazier, whose images illustrate and explore issues of inequality and their impact on communities over time. The event takes place at 12:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Ballroom of the Tinkham Veale University Center. Additional events take place through the end of February; please check the celebration website to learn more.

Finally, the beginning of a new year also provides an opportunity to reflect on the one that has passed. Today we launch Point of View, a look back at noteworthy achievements and activities of the 2017-2018 academic year. Visit case.edu/pointofview to see more about origami-inspired robots, efforts to make communities more inclusive, and our softball team’s first-ever trip to the NCAA championships, and more.

With best wishes for a wonderful semester,

Barbara R. Snyder
President