Friday, Mar 20, 2020
Dear Westminster Choir College alumni, parents and friends,
I’m writing to you today during an extraordinarily challenging moment. We are confronting the coronavirus outbreak not just as individuals or as a campus community but as a global community. The situation has compelled us to make very difficult decisions that affect students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our greater community.
Announced earlier this week, the Westminster Choir College Commencement ceremony has been postponed. Westminster Reunions scheduled for May are also postponed. We are considering alternative plans, and we will share more information once it becomes available. I am planning to hold a Zoom conference with the Alumni Council on Sunday, March 29, and these two events will be central to that discussion.
These decisions are not only tough; they are heartbreaking. As you know, Westminster’s Commencement is unique in the truest sense of the word. It represents the deepest values of our community, especially as the entire student body sings the Anthem of Dedication and members of the graduating class dedicate themselves to serving the world through music. Westminster’s Reunions offer alumni the opportunity to be embraced once again by a community that shares that noble mission.
Given the spread of the virus and the threat it poses to society, these decisions are also necessary. This is why we have announced that residence halls are closing and remote instruction will begin following an extended spring break and continue through the end of the spring semester, including exams.
The health and safety of our campus community is our top priority. With that in mind, we are also working to ensure the continuity of instruction so that students may complete their spring semester academic requirements. For an institution whose programs pivot on performance-based activities, this presents an incredible challenge. I am proud to report that our faculty are working in extraordinary fashion to continue providing stellar academic experiences in all courses and have assured students that what we must do this semester will not impede their progress to graduation.
During such an uncertain time, I've been encouraged by the resilience of our students, faculty, and staff have shown as they adapt to these new circumstances. Last week, as the students prepared to depart for spring break, and before the current social distancing guidelines were in place, following the Westminster Symphonic Choir graduate assistant conductors’ recital in Bristol Chapel, the community paused to sing the Lutkin Benediction with the deepest emotion and spirit that all who were present will remember forever. That moment exemplified Leonard Bernstein’s words about this special place: Westminster Choir College brings a great measure of beauty to a world that needs it badly.
Let us resolve to keep singing. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Marshall Onofrio
Dean
Westminster Choir College
Westminster College of the Arts
This message was sent to Westminster Choir College alumni, parents and friends a special edition of Symphonic, a newsletter for the Westminster Choir College community.