January 16, 2026
Dear members of the Connecticut College community,
This Monday, as we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our campus is once again coming to life, with students returning to classes, faculty preparing for a new semester, and staff supporting the many rhythms of the College. It is an appropriate moment to reflect not only on Dr. King’s legacy, but on how values are sustained, not just celebrated.
Dr. King’s leadership emerged during a period of significant social change, when progress required moral courage and steadfast leadership. Today, we find ourselves in a moment that asks for similar care and resolve. In many areas, long-standing practices and shared assumptions are being reexamined, and the pace of progress can feel uncertain. These realities remind us that meaningful change is rarely linear—and that the work Dr. King advanced continues across generations.
In this context, education has a vital role to play. Colleges and universities must remain places where evidence matters, questions are encouraged, and the dignity of every person is affirmed. At Conn, learning is not confined to the classroom. It happens through discussion and debate, research and creative work, service and community engagement. For students, this is a time to develop the habits of mind and heart that will shape how you lead and serve in the world. For faculty and staff, it is a responsibility to model care, integrity and courage in that work.
Dr. King understood that lasting change depends on persistence and collective effort. His vision challenges us to remain attentive to one another, to avoid complacency, and to stay committed even when the path forward is complex.
I encourage you to approach this day not only as a moment of remembrance, but as an invitation to ongoing engagement beyond a single holiday. Through sustained community partnerships supported by the Holleran Center, through mentorship, scholarship, dialogue and everyday acts of inclusion, each of us has a role to play. We have much work yet to do to realize Dr. King’s vision—but we do this work together.
May we move forward with honesty, determination and hope.
Sincerely,
Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D.
President