A New Year’s Message From President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D.

Dear Fielding Community,

Welcome to 2023!

President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D.

On the occasion of another full turn of the earth around the sun, what may await us as the New Year turns to 2023? Impermanence, as many philosophers remind us, is the only constant. Humans have both an enormous capacity for change and, simultaneously, a resistance to it. We lament all that isn’t anymore, and yet, we adapt quickly in light of new circumstances. Resilience, the watchword of the pandemic, is also our shadow. It allows us to become accustomed to conditions that are not ideal, but we adjust.

Complacency is the opposite of who we are at Fielding. We are resilient and tough. Our research, our striving to understand the world around us — these are the characteristics of people who care and are on the move toward change. We do not accept the status quo; rather, we challenge ourselves to ask hard and complicated questions. We face hard realities: the pain of racism and the ways we are complicit; environmental destruction, and the seemingly unending nature of our grief; and more. These are the hallmarks of being human in the 21st century.

Transformation occurs when we move through our pain, acknowledge individual and societal shortcomings, and come through the other side with renewed compassion for those around us. This process allows us to commit to the kind of change we work for in the world — in therapeutic settings, educational systems, organizations, and communities.

Ultimately, if you are part of the Fielding community, you believe in the power of learning — learning that creates better conditions for the people in the world and all species that depend on us. May we take this opportunity at the beginning of a new year to also renew our faith in our academic work to foster change and in each other to believe that, by working collectively, we will be part of making a better world for those around us, as well as our families and communities.

I look forward to seeing many of you either in person or virtually in 2023. Let’s make it a good year. Each of us has the power to do this.

Peace to all of you,

President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D.