Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for your hard work and dedication over these past few months.
This fall semester at Lehigh has been unlike any other in our university’s history. The fact that we have been able to come this far is a testament to your professionalism, and to your dedication to our work.
From the summer months, during which so much time and effort was spent preparing for the fall, and on through the semester itself, I have been consistently impressed and often amazed by how you have stepped up to overcome the multitude of challenges of the pandemic. You have my sincere appreciation.
The university leadership recognizes the exceptional effort put forth by our employees, often in the face of challenges unrelated to work. Some of us have lost loved ones, cared for sick loved ones or fallen ill ourselves. Others have had to juggle work responsibilities while also seeing to the needs of children or other family members. The pandemic has caused stress and uncertainty, and this can take a toll on overall health and well-being.
In order to help you find some time to spend with your loved ones, and to dedicate to self-care as well, we are going to build in additional mental health time for Lehigh employees around the upcoming holiday season.
In addition to the already scheduled university holidays on Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1, Lehigh will now be closed as well from Dec. 28-31. Supervisors will receive additional guidance from Human Resources to ensure equity among those staff members for whom an extended break is not possible. We thank them for their continued dedication to Lehigh.
I hope this extra time away helps you to recharge after the daily grind of these past few months. I wish you and your families my best during this holiday season, including good health.
Sincerely,
John D. Simon ’19P