We are an institution that succeeds through our commitment to our mission and our support for one another.
On a beautiful afternoon last September, I joined other Yellowjacket fans to watch our field hockey team take on Hamilton College. The game was tense and spirited, and scoreless throughout regulation, two overtime sessions, and a traditional shoot-out.
Finally, after nine rounds of sudden-victory shoot-outs, Hamilton emerged the winner, 1–0.
While the loss was disappointing, I admired the perseverance of the Yellowjackets and, in particular, the efforts of senior goalie Kara Houston, senior defender Abigal Mateer, and sophomore midfielder Sophia Cuneo. Together, they stopped 31 shots on goal, one of the most impressive performances I have seen as a lifelong field hockey fan and former player.
When I wrote to Kara after the game to share how impressed I was by the performance, she was quick to acknowledge her teammates: “It was a tough loss, but I’m really proud of how we came together,” Kara wrote. “Our defense played their hearts out that game; I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for them!”
I have been thinking a lot about the importance of teamwork during the past several months. The perseverance and resilience of the Yellowjackets could be seen as a metaphor for the situation facing our University—and higher education and academic medicine, generally.
Over the past two years, we have seen unprecedented challenges come our way, including historic numbers of executive orders and federal policy changes affecting our research, international enrollment, clinical care, and campus culture.
We also face demographic shifts among traditional college-age students, an evolving technological landscape, and changing public sentiment regarding higher education. So, like the Yellowjackets, we must work as a team to face our challenges, support one another, and remain true to our values.
I am proud to report that we are persevering in our missions with the engagement and compassion for which we’re known.
Over the past 18 months, we have accomplished historic milestones, including National Cancer Institute designation for the Wilmot Cancer Institute, the creation of four new transdisciplinary research centers to leverage our innovative research and educational pathways, a revamped student life organization to better enhance the success of our students, and the public launch of the For Ever Better campaign.
Across our enterprises, we are reevaluating our programs to be leaders in a rapidly changing world. Our 2030 strategic plan, Boundless Possibility, has proved to be prescient in helping guide us, and the campaign will accelerate our movement toward our goals.
Despite the many challenges, we have seen successes that highlight our position as a leading research university.
For example, in recent months, our Laboratory for Laser Energetics received record funding in the federal budget cycle; a team led by pioneering biologist Vera Gorbunova was awarded up to $22 million through a relatively new federal agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, to explore ways to slow aging; and we’re building partnerships with New York State to leverage our research prowess in AI and quantum science.
In addition, we earned reaccreditation as a community-engaged institution from the Carnegie Foundation. The national recognition affirms our deep and broad commitment to be the University of Rochester.
I’m grateful to be part of an incredible team across the University as we demonstrate our ability to adjust quickly and remain flexible. Our faculty members, students, staff, and academic, clinical, and operations leaders are committed to the success of our mission and the success of one another.
At Commencement this spring, we celebrated the Class of 2026 and members of our University community, as well as the families and friends who supported them in their journeys.
The ceremonies remind us that we each are part of a larger community that plays a role in our success. Through our perseverance and teamwork, we will make the world ever better well into the future.
—Rochester Review, Spring 2026