Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani sent the following message to students, faculty, staff and families on Aug. 20: 

Distinguished colleagues, students and good friends,

Our move-in weekend was terrific, and I am not talking about just the weather. I participated in the “on-boarding” events where hundreds of students and their family members arrived on campus to enroll for the fall term.

First and foremost, I want to take a moment to share some well-deserved gratitude. I was so proud of our faculty, staff, administrators and students who served so diligently to welcome our new and continuing students back to campus. They welcomed and coordinated thousands of visitors to campus and it all went flawlessly. Special thanks to Dr. Dennis Goodman, our chief medical officer, and his team for their careful planning and personal participation. For hours, Dr. Goodman personally guided visitors through screening procedures. Special thanks also to our chief of police, Doug Roberts, who stood in the sun the entire time to direct traffic and ensured our security, as well as to the entire University Police team, for their assistance throughout the move-in process. And thank you to the hundreds of student, faculty and staff volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure a well-orchestrated on-boarding of our students.

The remarkable work of our faculty, administrators and staff who planned and executed this important event was absolutely amazing and I know that I speak for the entire university community when I say thank you for your tireless effort.

The real heroes were the parents, friends and family members who accompanied our students and patiently endured the careful COVID-19 procedures, carried their sons’ or daughters’ belongings to their new residences and then left teary-eyed to drive long distances back to their homes. I met parents from far and near, from San Diego, Nevada, Washington, Chicago and of course closer areas such as St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, among many other areas of the state and the U.S. I also met parents of some of our international students who were so delighted to see their sons and daughters accepted and arriving at S&T. I could witness the anxiety and hopes of parents, friends and family members who were worried about the new environment and all the tightened procedures that we have implemented to ensure safety and security. To the parents I say that we will continue to do our utmost to ensure the safety of your loved ones and will never deviate from the “safety first” principle.

I also want to thank the city of Rolla, Phelps Health and the entire university community for coming together to ensure a safe, secure and enjoyable learning environment for our students despite all the challenges that the pandemic situation presented to us.

I simply but profoundly say THANK YOU for all that you have done and will continue to do to ensure a successful fall semester.

Best wishes for a wonderful start of the fall semester.

Mo Dehghani
Chancellor