Editor's note: This story first appeared in the winter 2020 issue of the Hearts Together, a special joint campus magazine publication of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor.
It is not summer anymore. In fact, as you are reading this issue you may be preparing for or be in the midst of the Advent and Christmas season. Around our house, that preparation includes different decorations, lights outside, and, of course, a Christmas tree prominently displayed. Typically we enjoy family and friend gatherings, but this year it is hard to say what will transpire.
has been in prep mode long before the holidays. For the weeks and months of this past summer, campus leaders spent hours reimagining spaces, and recalibrating anticipated patterns and expectations in preparation to boldly welcome our students back in August.
We walked the buildings and marked the floors. We hung new signage. We reduced the capacity of classrooms, creating a new “COVID capacity” for each room. Our food service partner Sodexo reconfigured the Cardinal Cafe. We marked new seating spaces in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity. We removed tables and chairs. We discussed, debated, and then decided on new policies and procedures that would keep the safety and wellness of our campus community as our highest priority.
I am proud of the ways our campus has adapted to these changing circumstances. Many students and employees alike are back on campus, albeit in reimagined and recalibrated ways. Through it all, the unchanging and uncommon love of God in Christ Jesus has reminded us to remember that every day is the day the Lord has made; therefore, we will rejoice and be glad in it!
REV. DR. RYAN PETERSON
Vice President of Administration
Chief Liaison to the Office of the President
The winter 2020 Hearts Together magazine hit mailboxes in mid-November. View a PDF version of the magazine here. If you are not on our mailing list, but are interested in receiving a free copy, email Jennifer.Hackmann@cuaa.edu.
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