The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every single aspect of our lives. It has changed the way we live, work, learn, interact with each other; the way we pray and the way we mourn our dear ones. We’ve also witnessed growing unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death; thousands of people have marched in the streets to protest racism and injustice in our country.

Our ability to adapt to this current, uneasy reality shows our resilience and our desire to continue to do the things we need the most. Acquiring an education is certainly one of them.

Since Touro College began distance learning in mid-March, I’ve been impressed with how quickly our faculty and student bodies have adjusted to this new, very different way of teaching and learning. Thanks to the hard work of the Help Desk staff, many faculty members who were not used to teaching their classes online have quickly become familiar with various distance teaching programs and tools. Students have embraced this new challenge and have found creative ways to participate in their classes while juggling several different commitments. For some students, the newfound flexibility has proven to be welcome change, and has enhanced their ability to progress in their studies.

Given that software-delivered classes are the best possible substitute for the experience of in-person, face-to-face learning, NYSCAS has not missed a single beat, and has continued to provide the education its students want and deserve.

As we learn to navigate these new, uncharted waters, we thank and salute the front-line workers and the medical community for their service, and we hold our heads high, with great hope for the future. As always, we will get through this together. To paraphrase the writer G.M. Hopf: "Hard times create strong people. Strong people create good times. I look forward to you helping to create the good times that arise from unusually challenging experiences."

Judah Weinberger