Welcome to the Start of the Spring Semester
A Message from Dr. Donna E. Shalala, Interim President
Happy New Year and welcome to the start of the spring semester! A special welcome goes out to the faculty, staff, and students who are new to our university community this term.
As we begin this new semester, I hope the coming months are productive, successful, and rewarding for you. A new semester represents a time of change for us all, and there are limitless opportunities to embrace something new. We all learn from and teach each other, and I want to express my appreciation for the contributions each of you makes to our academic community.
Over the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet formally and informally with many members of The New School community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families. A common thread in all of my interactions is a tremendous pride in the university and its potential to address universal problems and bring positive solutions to communities locally, nationally, and globally.
To that end, I am excited today to announce a new initiative suggested by student leaders to eliminate single use plastics on our campus. As a first step in this effort, we have installed new water refill stations around campus to supplement those already in place, and will be distributing free reusable water bottles manufactured by Didomi at pick-up desks in the lobbies of 55 West 13th Street, 66 West 12th Street, 6 East 16th Street, and the University Center.
Didomi is a social enterprise organization founded by African immigrants that is dedicated to addressing the global water crisis and preventing plastic waste. The company donates 50% of its profits to funding clean water projects in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, providing an estimated 10 years of clean and safe water to someone in need. Please look for an email later today with information about how to collect your water bottle and the sustainability events on our campus this week.
The New School has a very engaged community of students, faculty, and staff, many of whom contributed to getting this initiative off the ground. In particular, I want to recognize Thomas Whalen, Vice President of Buildings and Campus Operations; Ashley Kossakowski, Director of Energy Management and Sustainability; John Lepak, Senior Director of University Design and Material Production; and the Facilities and M&C teams. I am also grateful to the University Student Senate for their collaboration, helping to engage our students in this initiative and contributing to the branding of this effort and other insights to advance our commitment.
Our water bottle initiative is just one of many planned campus enhancements this spring, and watch for announcements in The New School Free Press sharing more details with you in the coming week. In the meantime, I wish you all a successful and enriching semester. Take good care of yourself and each other. I look forward to spending time with you and hearing great things about the work you are doing.