A Report on the Events of the Year

In a year marked by tragedy, we were poignantly reminded what makes an institution such as ours special: the people who comprise the university community.

In the days after September 11, we came together-faculty, students, staff, and alumni-to mourn the members of our community who died or who were affected by the terrorists attacks, we turned to each other for comfort and strength, and we offered our immediate help by volunteering, by raising money, and by donating blood for the relief efforts.

We also saw that the work of our University makes an enormous difference in a challenged world. We saw that directly in such endeavors as the Medical Center's study of the adequacy of the nation's smallpox vaccine stockpile. (The University was one of only four sites nationwide chosen for that work.)

But more broadly, the events of the past year also underscored the fact that the core missions of a university are the foundation of our hope for the future. Whether it's developing a "smart bandage," making new discoveries about subatomic particles at the heart of all matter, or celebrating the writers and performers who bring us great art, the search for answers that advance human knowledge constitutes our most vital contribution to Rochester, the nation, and the world.

Such work will be the hallmark of the faculty, staff, and students of Rochester in the years to come, as it has been for the past century and a half.

Thomas H. Jackson
President

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