a word from the president

I won’t lie. This was one of the toughest semesters in my 20 years at Belmont. I missed so many hallmark events, including all of our spring sports and the wealth of musical and theatre performances that so define our creative community. But I also missed the simple daily interactions with students, faculty and staff. As I walked Belmont’s campus this spring, I longed to see students on the Lawn, hanging out, studying for exams. Most of all, I missed celebrating our exceptional senior class at commencement, though I remain hopeful we can honor them in person in August.

While COVID-19 caused those losses and ones far greater around the world, this virus also further revealed the remarkable resilience, grace, compassion and commitment found in the Belmont community. Our faculty worked extraordinarily hard to move to remote learning with just two weeks’ notice, while our students quickly adapted to finish the semester strong and support one another along the way. Our staff—both those at home and our essential workers on campus—kept University operations running at a high level. All of these individuals have truly United in Spirit, despite the physical distance circumstances required. I couldn’t be more impressed or more grateful to be on the Belmont team, and as you read the pages of this Circle magazine and our newly launched BelmontCircle.com website, I think you’ll find myriad reasons why.

Be Well,

Robert C. Fisher
President