Message From the Chancellor (COVID-19 April 28, 2020 7:59 p.m.)

Try shifting gears!

Dear Texas Woman’s Community,

I hope this message finds you well. Is it only Tuesday?!

I have been in back-to-back meetings again today, working with deans and others in academic affairs, marketing, risk management, student life, financial aid, and the multitude of student support services to iron out summer and fall plans. We are getting close to framing a way forward. I will share specifics over the next couple of days.

I am happy to see Dr. Mendez-Grant sent out a message to students letting them know the federal stimulus funds have finally arrived. Within 40 minutes of her message, her team had received more than 400 applications. As the month draws to a close, I know financial anxieties rise, especially at this stage of the pandemic. Our teams will do their best to award these stimulus funds as quickly as possible.

Dr. Mendez-Grant has also built a volunteer network of faculty and staff who are calling more than 6,500 students who are admitted to Texas Woman’s but have not yet enrolled. A personal call may well be that deciding factor in growing and strengthening our #campuswithaheart student body. I am inspired by this coming together of our community.

I have also heard the urgency in students’ messages and calls about continuing their education without delay. Dr. DaSilva in Houston shared a story about one of our future PT students:

Sangin Na has been accepted into our DPT cohort scheduled to start in August 2020. However, now the US Embassy in South Korea is closed, and he cannot get an interview to obtain a new student visa due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that South Korea seems to be recovering pretty well, and businesses are gradually being allowed to reopen; he is hopeful the US Embassy will reopen, too. During this entire time, he has shown us patience, strength, perseverance, flexibility, professionalism, and service. We hope that we can help him fulfill his dream of becoming a PT in the U.S.—sooner rather than later.

All of these stories of courage and hope keep me pressing on through the complexities of summer and fall planning. As an avid cyclist, one of my mantras in the saddle is, “when life starts going uphill, try shifting gears!” We will get there, but for now, we have to keep pumping the pedals.

With a pioneering spirit,

Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.
Chancellor and President

P.S. For the latest information, check out the TWU COVID-19 webpage.

Page last updated 10:21 AM, September 13, 2024