Dear Orange Friends:
There has been a lot to be proud of at Syracuse University this last week, including mostly quiet things. The quietest thing of all was the arena in Pittsburgh when, with 44 tenths of seconds left, a 35-foot shot was heard around the world. Congratulations and many thanks to all on our team!
I have twice visited the University Art Galleries in the past two weeks. Once was for the opening reception of Mithila Painting, an exhibition of a fantastically detailed set of paintings from villages in Bihar province in India. I returned later alone to have time to see the stunning William Kentridge exhibition as well as a wonderful display of Alan Dunn’s New Yorker cartoons from World War II, put together from our collections and archives with help from our students. The current exhibitions in the gallery are a real team effort, with students, faculty, and staff across many parts of the University doing a great job with so many media. The galleries (and their collections both on and off display) rival, in every sense, almost all our peers. They are worth a quiet visit and a short stroll off the Shaw Quad into the Shaffer Art Building.
At the Art Galleries reception, I noticed one more quiet thing to celebrate. As is the case with hundreds of events on campus, the reception was catered by the professionals and staff (including students) of SU Catering Services. The catering was effectively, deliciously, and seemingly effortlessly done. Having recently visited the SU Food Services Commissary, including Catering Services, with my wife Ruth, I understand how much planning and effort go into making our food service venues and events run smoothly here. In a nondescript building on Ainsley Drive, way south after Comstock Avenue ends, a great team of warehouse workers, truck drivers, bakeshop staff, cooks, managers, and administrators works almost 24/7 to meet the relentless demands of all parts of the University, including the dining halls, athletic facilities, auditoriums, and event spaces. I swear these folks could handle the logistics of a D-Day-type invasion just as easily as a visit from the Dalai Lama. It is not quiet inside their building, but they sure are quiet and invisible to many of us attending events. For once, I want to let them know they are seen and appreciated for the great work they do.
Chancellor Kent Syverud