Focusing concern and attention on Japan
March 11th, 2011The first email alert from our Office of Emergency Management came at 2:12 this morning. At 3:45 the students and guests at our Institute of Marine Biology on the coast were briefed, and by 5:00 everyone had been safely moved to higher ground. Thankfully the all-clear has been given on the Oregon coast. I applaud the immediate response of our colleagues here on campus and in Charleston.
Our Office of International Affairs is attempting to reach our students and faculty who are in Japan, and we are awaiting word from alumni and friends who are there. We are also reaching out to our Japanese students and helping to make connections with their families back home.
Tragedies like this remind us how small the world is, and how much we value our family, friends and colleagues. Jan and I send our condolences to those families who have suffered in this tragedy. Our hearts are with you.
