Dear Members of the University of Miami Family:

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, I encourage all of us in the ’Canes community to reflect on everything for which we are grateful. Gratitude is more than the quality of being thankful. It affirms goodness. It strengthens bonds. Expressing gratitude is itself a deeply gratifying experience. In fact, there is increasing evidence that gratitude is actually good for our physical and mental health.

At the University of Miami, we give thanks for so much this year. I could list any number of accomplishments across the institution, from national designations to student achievements, from prestigious awards to life-changing discoveries, from acts of kindness to generous gifts. We see goodness and excellence on a daily basis.

I am certain you can each think of moments—in the classroom, with a patient, in the office, in the lab, in the community, on the playing field—for which you are grateful. Beyond those individual experiences, there is something bigger. There is our interwoven connection to one another as a community dedicated to service and to learning.

Collectively and individually, we have purpose. We have ideas. We have solutions. We have opportunity. We have hope.

Above all these things, we have each other. Thank you for being part of what makes the U such an extraordinarily vibrant place to learn, work, and live.

I wish you a Thanksgiving filled with joy and gratitude.

We Are One U.