Dear colleagues in the Anderson community,

Reflecting upon last weekend — when white nationalists espousing hatred, intolerance and bigotry sought to divide, and caused loss of life and injury — we reaffirm our long-standing values.

At Anderson, our strong culture is defined as much by our differences as by our shared values. These differences — not only in demographics, but in background, experiences and world views — are sources of strength, creativity and, ultimately, success. We are committed to developing a deeper understanding of our differences in order to better accept, appreciate and empower them, and we pledge to celebrate a climate within which all members of the Anderson community feel welcomed, supported and valued.

This quote is taken from Anderson 2021, our strategic plan. These values are our own. They are timeless. We seek to reinforce them at upsetting moments like these, and resolve to become a stronger community. Differences surround us. They are a source of strength to be respected and understood. To learn about and celebrate our differences, we instituted two conversation series last year in partnership with our students:

• Valuing Differences, sharing personal stories by members of our student, faculty and staff communities;
• Leading with Values, drawing on transformational organizational leaders.

We will be continuing these series. Events like those that occurred last weekend are emotionally wrenching. Our support and sympathy go out to the UVA and Charlottesville communities. We are reminded that despite forces that strive to divide, we must all recommit to engage personally in dialog to understand and empower differences, and to be moved to actions that champion our values.