For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Martino
Phone Number:  (215) 895-1186
Date: 09/12/01

Message From USP's President

 -- In light of the tragedies in New York City and Washington, D.C. --

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

We are all reeling from the unspeakable horror of yesterday's events in New York City and Washington, D.C.  Even as we return to our routine of classes and labs and studying, the enormity of this tragedy is beginning to sink in.  Student groups, faculty, and administrators are taking steps to help our campus cope with the devastation that has affected so many families.

As we begin the lengthy process of healing, we need to be especially mindful of the pain and grief that our friends and acquaintances on campus are feeling, and to reach out to them with caring and concern.

We in the USP community have always prided ourselves on the rich diversity of our campus.  Now is the time to be particularly sensitive to that diversity, as we look beyond our cultural, ethnic, and faith traditions to join with one another in embracing our common humanity.

Only by standing together, one with another, can we hope to draw strength from adversity, good from evil, resolve from despair.  By not taking a special effort to come together, we fulfill the aspirations of those who would use whatever means possible to tear us apart.

It is a time for all of us to come together.

-- Philip P. Gerbino, PharmD ''70