Over lunch, a colleague and I brainstormed about how we can begin a new narrative at WVU.

The academic year ended with graduation last Friday. Those colleagues who chose to leave have left. Though we’ll miss them all, we’re ready to focus on the work of staying.

Staying, we agreed, means getting back to what we value. It means emphasizing the innovative work we’re still doing. Renewing the connections within our community, which have frayed since the start of COVID.

We can do certain things ourselves, right now. We can draft announcements about our unique and forward-thinking classes, like AI and the Law, or The Entrepreneurship Method for Lawyers. We can reach out in support to those who feel beleaguered. We can get students more involved in the rigorous and exciting work of scholarly inquiry. We can plan events that invite our colleagues, students, and community to re-engage and just enjoy each other’s company.

Staying takes work. But it’s the work we’ve chosen to do, and we can’t wait to get started.