Dear AU Community,

We just witnessed one of the most intense presidential elections in modern history. From our home at AU, we have the unique opportunity to participate in our democracy and our government, to study and learn about this moment in our history, and to constructively engage no matter whether our preferred candidate won or lost.

The election will certainly not immediately heal divisions in our nation. Within our community, many may be experiencing feelings of grief, and many may be experiencing feelings of optimism. It is important and healthy for each of us to give space to those feelings and to acknowledge that others are working through their own feelings and reactions. Grace, open hearts, and understanding will serve us well.

For any community members needing support during this time, our campus resources are available, including the Center for Well-Being and Psychological Services and the AU ProtoCall 24-hour support line (202-885-7979) for students and the BHS service for faculty and staff and their families.

As always, our top priority is safety, and with intense sentiments about the election result, we are focused on the security of our campus and the well-being of our community.

Members of the AU community and people across the country are having a wide array of reactions to the outcome. Many of them are intense and deeply felt. It is natural and appropriate to explore and express those sentiments. Our work in The Civic Life was made for moments like this. How we engage with and treat one another, particularly in times when some are celebrating victory and others are feeling loss, matters so much. It is critical that we explore what comes next together, in a spirit of respect, coupled with intellectual humility and humanity. 

That is one of the prime reasons we are having the Unity Dinner this evening. Coming together in our shared humanity at a time like this has never been more important. I hope you will join us tonight at the WCL Tenley Campus.

We are also announcing today the first AU Week of Kindness for November 10-16 (look for details in AU Now, on social media, and on the Week of Kindness website. There will be numerous opportunities to focus on the power of being kind and connected. Making our lives and the lives of those around us better through intentional acts of kindness is good for our entire community.

There are several events and opportunities to start unpacking what happened in the election and what comes next with our unparalleled AU faculty and community experts:

• November 7––The SIS Global Elections Initiative will host “Debriefing on American Democracy: Reactions from Home and Abroad.”
• November 12––The Sine Institute will host “What Just Happened? What Did We Learn from Election 2024?”
• November 19––The Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies will host “The 7th Annual Barbara Sinclair Lecture with Prof. Eric Schickler.”
• And you can always turn to WAMU to help understand the context of the election for the Washington, DC region and for a deep dive on key issues.

If you need a break, there are also events that offer opportunities to step away from the non-stop election coverage and conversations. I hope you will take time to reflect on and participate in these community-focused and meaningful opportunities:

• Threads of Hope, an event sponsored by the Civic Life, is a community project celebrating creative expression. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, the quad will feature community craft activities.
• CAS is hosting Post-Election Wellness Moments in the Battelle Atrium from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• The AU Art Club Weekly Session takes place at 8 p.m. tonight in the Katzen Arts Center Room 102.
• On November 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m., AU Chorus presents Tree of Peace, a concert revolving around the themes of peace, tranquility, and nature, concluding with a performance of Gwenyth Walker's "Tree of Peace." Tickets are required (free for AU students).

Regardless of the election’s outcome, our focus and our mission remain, to provide the best possible AU education for our students and to create and share knowledge that can help address the world’s most critical issues. As we begin to think about what comes next, I hope you will take time to reflect on the importance of our democracy and the opportunity we each have to help shape its future.

Sincerely,

Jonathan R. Alger
President, American University