A Year Later, King's Carries On

A message from Dr. David Malloy, King's Principal:

Watch a video from Dr. Malloy.

A year ago, as we were quickly shifting to becoming a largely virtual university, I sent you the first of my Principal’s COVID-19 messages thanking you for your courage and cooperation.

During those first few messages to you, and again today, I went to my own comfort zone for support in dealing with the pandemic. I poured through my copies of philosophers and writers looking for their inspiring words of wisdom to give me perspective and peace. I shared that with you then and I share it with you again today. I feel it is important that we mark one year since we ended in-person classes and many in-person services in order to stay safe and help stop the spread of the virus.

This poem is still as relevant to me today as it was a year ago:

“stay strong through your pain
grow flowers from it
you have helped me
grow flowers out of mine so
bloom beautifully
dangerously
loudly
bloom softly
however you need
just bloom”

(Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey, 2014)

I have needed to look no further than to each of you for inspiration as a leader. I hope I have been able to provide you with some encouragement to carry on the best way that King’s knows how to do. You have displayed an outstanding degree of caring behaviours. You have continued to teach, learn, research, work and support one another while caring for yourself and your families, friends and colleagues. 

I acknowledge the dedication you have all shown to King’s. From the rapid launch of our Moving Online Project team to the maintenance of our Residence programs, you have demonstrated creativity, ingenuity and determination to keep King’s together as a community.

And yet, I also recognize the pain of this past year. As Professor Darcy Harris, a scholar who studies grief in our Thanatology program, calls it “the loss of living our lives.” She and so many other faculty and staff have shared their research related to COVID-19 this year. Research on how COVID-19 impacts family justice by Dr. Rachel Birnbaum, research on how COVID-19 impacts low-income neighbourhoods by Dr. Stephanie Baird, and global economic history research by Dr. Vincent Geloso are just a few of the many research projects undertaken at King’s this past year. We have learned from this terrible pandemic and we will keep learning and growing.

I have hope that we will return to campus this fall. Plans are underway to make this happen. However, much can change between now and September. I will continue to keep you informed as best I can. The rollout of the vaccine and the continued efforts by all of us to wear masks, remain physically distant, wash our hands – these simple acts – are needed now more than ever. I know I am tired and - frankly - fed up with the pandemic and I expect that you are, too. Having said that, we cannot stop now if we wish to be together again in-person.

I appreciate each and every one of you for your dedication, commitment, and sheer grit. I am blessed to work with this team.

While we continue to work our way through this reality, know that all of us are doing everything we can to take care of King's. Continue to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and never stop supporting this place.