Gift of Time as Thanksgiving Break Starts November 24

Dear Colleagues, 

As you begin to make plans to spend Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones, we thank you all for your contributions and commitment to keep our University strong, innovative, and united in common purpose.

To show our gratitude, we are happy to announce that the University will be closed on Wednesday, November 24. This additional day off will give everyone an early start on the Thanksgiving break and — for many — perhaps a little extra time to beat holiday traffic.

(If you are a professional staff member who supports an area that requires you to work during this holiday period, please communicate with your supervisor about managing your schedule. Please note that classes at the College of Medicine and the Kline School of Law will be held as scheduled. Professional staff at these schools should consult with their supervisors regarding Wednesday scheduling.)

Thanksgiving also calls on us to slow down and reflect on what matters most in our lives, and to take stock of the good things and blessings that, given the restrictions and loss we all experienced last year, we perhaps are less likely to take for granted. For our part, we are enormously grateful to our essential workers who kept our University running smoothly through the pandemic's darkest days and months; to all of our faculty and professional staff who have adapted in order to continually serve our teaching and research enterprise; and to everyone who has gone beyond the normal call of duty to do the important and necessary work of making Drexel an anti-racist institution.

As we give thanks for the many people who bless and enrich our lives, we must also remember to care for ourselves. The return to a semblance of normal routines has not come without significant stresses and strains. Between now and the Thanksgiving break, as well as when we return, we encourage all of you to check the self-care and wellness resources available to every member of our community. In addition, you can participate in the Drexel Human Resources Ten at 10 healthy activity programs or seek help through the Employee Assistance Program. And we strongly urge anyone who has not received a flu shot to do so as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we hope everyone will join us in vigorously practicing gratitude not just on Thanksgiving, but also throughout the year. There are research studies that have shown that feeling and expressing gratitude can build resilience, lift one's spirits, and improve well-being.

We wish you a relaxing, joyful and safe Thanksgiving holiday — and good health.

Warm regards,

John Fry
President

Helen Y. Bowman
Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Operating Officer

Paul E. Jensen
Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost and University Professor