One of my hopes in writing these fortnightly notes is that they will, in some small way, do their part to foster the “more unified Yale” that I have been championing since I became president. Whenever I spend time with members of the extended university community—whether here in New Haven or on the road—I am met with requests for updates on the latest from campus. I realize that there is more news than I could ever share (or than you could ever find time to read!), but I do try to pass along information that otherwise might not make its way to the wider Yale “family.”
As an example, colleagues here on campus know that 5:00 p.m. today is the nomination deadline for the newly rechristened Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service. (If you are a faculty or staff member who has not yet submitted a nomination, I encourage you to do so using the online form.) Established last year as the “President’s Award,” this is a special means of recognition for the extraordinary staff contributions without which Yale could not achieve its education and research missions, and the 2014 winners were the embodiment of the kind of diverse, innovative, wide-ranging excellence that exists across our campus. They were web designers and pharmacists, facilities managers and lab assistants. They protected the artifacts of the Peabody Museum, developed professional enrichment programs for their colleagues, and spearheaded digital learning initiatives. They demonstrated, both individually and collectively, a deep and genuine commitment to making Yale great. I salute them, and thank them, and I look forward to recognizing a new cohort of recipients later this fall.
In other news, congratulations to Tyler Varga ’15, who made the final cut and was named to the regular season roster of the Indianapolis Colts. Tyler’s résumé as a Yale Bulldog reads like a who’s-who of prestigious awards and top-10 statistics, so his ascent to the big leagues comes as no surprise to those of us who cheered him on in home games at the Bowl. He is the epitome of the scholar athlete, and we will all be rooting for him as he begins his NFL career.