Editor’s note: University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis sent a New Year's message to all students, faculty and staff on Jan. 2, 2020, reflecting on the many accomplishments of the previous year and looking ahead to 2020 and the coming decades at the University.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break, full of love and joy with family and friends. As we begin another exciting year of new opportunities at the University of Delaware, I want to express how proud I am to be part of this amazing community of scholars, innovators and dedicated professionals.

A new year offers us the chance to reflect on the 12 months that have passed—recapped in this video and this UDaily story—and look forward to the coming year. In 2019, we welcomed one of our largest groups of new students, and in a few months, we will send thousands of new alumni into the world as proud Blue Hens. The faculty who joined our distinguished ranks last year are already making their mark as inspiring teachers and outstanding researchers. Throughout the year, we watched new buildings rise on our campus—the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center and the Chemours Discovery Hub on the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, as well as the Whitney Athletic Center and the renovated Delaware Stadium—and in 2020, these new spaces will come to life with students, researchers, University partners and other members of our community.

This year, as the calendar turns to a new decade, we are compelled to look 10 years down the road and envision shaping an even bolder future together. Picture the University of Delaware in 2030 and imagine everything that awaits us! What lifesaving science, game-changing innovation and barrier-breaking knowledge will emerge from our research? What new insights and inspiration will come from our study of the humanities and our passion for the arts? Whose entrepreneurial idea will spark a movement? We are planting the seeds for those successes today, and it is energizing to anticipate the endless possibilities ahead.

As we see and feel a fresh momentum carrying us into 2020 and the decades beyond, my wife, Eleni, and I are thrilled to be with you, and we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Sincerely,

Dennis Assanis

President