Office of the Chancellor

Update on Campus Planning, Instruction, and Operations

June 1, 2020

Dear Campus Community,

The images are painful to watch. In cities and towns around the country, including Fort Wayne, people are marching in the streets and sharing their outrage, their raw emotions, their collective voices, to protest what has become the all-too-frequent killing of an unarmed African American citizen.

As our country continues to respond to this most recent, senseless killing, I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm Purdue Fort Wayne’s unwavering support for those in our community who are hurting and who are expressing their anger and frustration through peaceful demonstrations, thoughtful dialogue, and meaningful solutions.

If we have learned anything in the past few months, it’s that our campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the very best in us as human beings. We have looked out for the well-being of our students and each other. We have worked together to keep the campus community safe and strong as we continue to respond to an international health crisis that demonstrates just how fragile life is.

Let’s continue to work in that same spirit and with that same sense of urgency and compassion to ensure, without exception and without excuses, that no member of our community should ever have a reason to feel excluded, persecuted, or less than. While we have numerous federal, state, and university laws and policies that provide protections for all of us—and make no mistake, we will fervently enforce them—let’s look to our hearts to know what’s right and what’s just.

Our nation has a long history of failure regarding issues of race and equality. Far from getting it right, we simply can’t keep getting it wrong. Let’s all pledge to keep actively working together to make a real difference and to create a future where every member of our community feels valued, loved, equal, and safe.

Sincerely,

Ron Elsenbaumer
Chancellor