President’s Message

(John Myers for the University of Rochester)

In July I will have served as the 11th president of the University Rochester for two years. In one sense it feels like I just got here, but in another it feels like I have been here for years. In my time at Rochester, I have been thrilled to meet and speak with so many fantastic faculty, hardworking staff, and engaging students and alumni. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, I am also struck by how many people and University groups that I have not had the opportunity to make a real connection with yet.

It’s one thing to join hundreds of faculty or alumni on a Zoom call, but it’s altogether something else to meet someone face-to-face and learn firsthand their deep passion for this great university.

Sadly, COVID-19 has kept us apart. And for most of the past year, everyone around the world has been forced to focus on their lives directly around them. But with vaccinations increasing, and the pandemic appearing to pose a lesser threat, we are once again able to look beyond our immediate surroundings and realize the tremendous impact we have as One University.

As I look beyond the world-class instruction, groundbreaking research, and topflight medical care taking place on our campus, I am touched by how our instruction, our research, and our care are impacting the world. Just take a look outside of the University of Rochester, and you’ll see the greatness that is the University of Rochester.

In this issue of Rochester Review, you’ll learn about cutting-edge research done by Professor Lynne Maquat, founding director of the University’s Center for RNA Biology and recipient of this year’s prestigious Wolf Prize in Medicine, whose groundbreaking work helped pave the way for developments like the COVID-19 vaccines that are saving lives around the world.

Rochester’s cross-collaborative research doesn’t just save lives, it also changes the fabric of the future. Our University is a unique and fertile community where nearly 80 percent of our undergraduates engage in research, and, in a recent five-year period, more than half of our research patent applications came from women. In our community more than $400 million in annual research is predicated on asking “how,” “why,” and “why not.”

Just this semester, a team of chemical engineering seniors worked with the company Waste Management on treatments that could be used to remove persistent chemicals known as PFOAs and PFOs at waste disposal sites. Our students’ contribution came as part of our innovative annual capstone engineering project in anticipation of future regulations from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Also, in this issue, you’ll read an excerpt from a new memoir by one of our prominent alumni—Ed Hajim ’58. Ed’s story is a testament to how the lessons learned at the University of Rochester opened his eyes and helped transform the orphaned son of a Syrian immigrant into a successful Wall Street investor and a current University trustee.

I’d like to also thank Sarah Peyre, dean of the Warner School of Education, and Steve Dewhurst, vice dean for research of the School of Medicine and Dentistry and associate vice president for University health sciences research, for agreeing to serve as interim provost and interim vice provost for research, respectively. They’ll step in July 1, succeeding Rob Clark, who has served as senior vice president for research since 2013 and assumed the additional role of provost for the past five years.

Rob and retiring CIO and Vice Provost Dave Lewis have been pivotal in positioning the University for sustained excellence. Their experience and leadership will be missed as we look to build on their contributions in the future.

Whether making our mark on Wall Street, collaborating with industry to remove harmful chemicals from the environment, or conducting groundbreaking research that’s saving lives in the midst of a global pandemic, the University of Rochester is there—making a difference.

With these tremendous contributions in mind, I’m already looking to the future and thinking about my third year as president. I’m eager to establish the connections I missed making over the past year because of COVID. And as my knowledge and appreciation for this University deepens, I hope we will all realize that our greatness comes from more than the sum of our parts. Our greatness flows from our interconnectedness—to each other and to the world beyond our campus. Our greatness comes from being One University.

Contact President Mangelsdorf at sarah (dot) mangelsdorf (at) rochester (dot) edu. Follow her on Instagram: @urochestermangelsdorf.