By Richard Feldman
In my short time as president, I have learned that one of the great benefits of leading a premier research institution is the opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of our community’s talents, passions, and intellectual contributions.
One such opportunity came a couple of weeks ago, when I attended a concert at Kodak Hall and heard world-class music performed by the Eastman Philharmonia. It was a terrific program conducted by Garrett Wellenstien and William Le Sage that highlighted the music of Aaron Copland, Hector Berlioz and Dmitri Shostakovich and featured soprano and Eastman voice and performance master’s student Laura Sanders. It was a night of wonderful music, but what made it even more special was being there with Laura’s father, a guest of the Dean of the Eastman School of Music, Jamal Rossi. In addition to being a proud parent, Laura’s father is chairman and CEO of a company developing novel treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s. The evening allowed me to reflect on Dean Rossi’s ambitious and inspiring vision for the next generation of musicianship and offered a unique perspective on how the work we do spans the full range from art to medicine.
Just a few days earlier, I attended a men’s basketball game and had the opportunity to present a special award at halftime to athletic coach Jim Scheible in recognition of his 500th career coaching victory. Jim is a prime illustration of a member of the University family whose hard work and dedication fuel the engine of our institution. It was an honor for me to thank him publicly for his service. It’s important to note that later that afternoon, the women’s team took the court and defeated Emory, 66-52, Rochester’s 21st victory of the year. The team ultimately qualified for the women’s basketball NCAA Division III tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight.
More recently, I welcomed New York Senator Chuck Schumer to our Laboratory for Laser Energetics, where he pledged to reverse a federal budget proposal to phase out federal funding for the lab. Commissioned in 1970 to serve as a center for investigations of high-energy physics, the LLE’s work has seen both civilian and military applications. The lab’s emphasis on inertial confinement, direct-drive, and laser-induced fusion that uses the world’s highest-energy ultraviolet OMEGA laser draws scientists and researchers from across the country. It’s currently home to 350 employees and 100 students who are studying and working there. During his visit, Senator Schumer underscored the criticality of the research as a matter of national security and vowed to reverse the proposed funding cut.
Art, athletics, science – these three experiences in close succession provided me with just a sampling of what makes our community thrive. The fabric of our University is multidisciplined and impressive. Our artists, researchers, scientists, physicians, athletes, and educators spend their days refining their craft and offering tremendous contributions to how we experience and understand our world.
I am truly humbled and proud as I continue to experience the richness of talent and the range of our University.
Welcome to Words from Wallis Hall. This regular communication from President Feldman will serve as an ongoing opportunity to share important updates on the University’s efforts to strengthen a culture of respect, and to keep the campus community informed of people and programs that make Rochester a world-class institution.