Video Transcript Page - Holiday Message and 2021 Year-In-Review

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At Endicott College, 2021 was a year filled  with defining moments
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as we emerged from the  pandemic
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we again watched our campus flourish  with bold ideas, exciting creative endeavors,
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innovative collaboration, and of course change. Join  me as we reflect and look back on an extraordinary
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year at Endicott College where we celebrated the  return of treasured Endicott traditions.
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This year students resumed in-person classes and delighted  once again in life on campus, where learning and
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living eating and socializing and even  playing sports was as close to normal as
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possible. We also honored the Class of 2021 with  an in-person joy-filled Commencement ceremony.
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Meanwhile, our inaugural Scholarship Gala,  celebrated virtually, raised funds to support
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first-generation and multicultural  students through our Inspire scholarship.
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And love reigned supreme with 49 weddings  held at the historic Misselwood estate
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and the sound of vintage engines signaled  the return of the Concourse de Elegance.
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We also fortified our commitment to community  on our shores and beyond. We opened our first
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living-learning community and watched as our  endowment reached $130 million, ensuring
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equitable access and affordability to current and  future students. During September's convocation
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we welcomed the Class of 2025, the second-largest  class in Endicott history. At Convocation
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we celebrated another milestone, alumna Melissa  Hempstead, Chair of Endicott's Board of Trustees,
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made a $6 million commitment to enhance  student life academic enrichment and name the
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new Hempstead Commons. As a significant step in the  effort to promote all-around self-care at Endicott
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we created the Wellness Center, bringing  together the Health and Counseling centers
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into a new entity focused on holistic student  health. And we gave back to communities near, far,
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and everywhere in between. We resumed the  task of making the Nest the best it can be.
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We launched a bold new strategic plan—Sail Beyond  the Shore—to further illuminate the power of place,
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our innovative and diverse culture, and our  commitment to transformational learning. We welcomed
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new faculty and staff, made strategic changes, and  added new faces to the executive leadership team.
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To better serve our students, this year also  saw a realignment of our academic schools and
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programs. The Hospitality Management program was  positioned within the Gerrish School of Business,
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opening up cross-educational opportunities  for our Hospitality and Business students.
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The School of Arts & Sciences was redesigned  into two entities—the School of Social Sciences,
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Communication, & Humanities and the School of  Science & Technology—each will allow students
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to more freely explore opportunities related to  their major. Performances and exhibitions returned
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to our School of Visual & Performing Arts, most  recently with the Main Stage Theater production
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of Noises Off. The Endicott Center for Teaching and  Learning was launched to lead faculty development
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and support student success. And thanks to a  historic $20 million partnership with
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Cummings Foundation, we broke ground on the new  Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences
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which will also house the School of  Sports Science. We studied hard, but
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we had a lot of fun along the way too. We  created art and welcomed art exhibitions
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back to our campus. We made honey and furthered  the conversation on sustainability at Endicott.
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We danced and celebrated diversity. We  reconnected with friends and faculty
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resulting in both personal and academic growth. We  made time for ourselves to maintain mental health,
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but still carved out moments to create lasting  memories. And this year we became champions!
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At Endicott College, 2021 was a  year that will never be forgotten.
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On our shores we met adversity with  determination, perseverance, and resiliency
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and we did it together because we're stronger  together. We are Gulls and we always rise above.
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Here's to 2021. And here's to what comes next at  the Nest. Happy holidays from Endicott College.