Dear Emory Community,

In April, as you may know, I will transition into a new role as president of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. As a Philadelphia native, this is a unique opportunity for me to return home and lead an institution with great promise and potential.

For the past six years, it has been my privilege to serve the Emory University community as senior vice president and dean of Campus Life. This has been a time of extraordinary personal and professional growth for me in many ways. My countless professional and personal interactions with so many of you have made me a better person.

One of the great joys of my role at Emory has been attending and hosting hundreds of events. From Desserts with the Dean and Dosas with the Dean to Destination Emory to national championships with Emory Athletics teams – and even my pick-up basketball games at the SAAC – this remarkable university community has given me friendships and fond memories that I will treasure throughout life.

When I arrived at Emory, it was clear that we needed more physical space to support community-building. Since then, we have completed several living and learning projects, including the first-year residential village and renovation of other major residential facilities.

Physical enhancements for our community also include construction of a new Campus Life Pavilion, as well as completed or planned renovations to soccer, baseball, and softball fields, Cox Hall Food Court, The Depot restaurant, Centro Latinx, and Emory Black Student Union. And, of course, our new Campus Life Center is scheduled for completion less than two years from now and will undoubtedly transform community life at Emory.  

To maximize our ability to deliver services to students and build community, Campus Life has undergone significant structural and programmatic transformation during my tenure. New offices and initiatives include: Student Success Programs and Services; Parent and Alumni Relations; Belonging and Community Justice; Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions (SILT); Racial and Cultural Engagement (RACE); and the Respect Program.

Although much work remains to be done, Emory has already become a national pacesetter on issues of social justice. To be sure, the student leaders who inspired important social movements at Emory deserve much of the credit for this and other institutional achievements, including creation of the Commission on Racial and Social Justice, expanding the commitment to undocumented students, and enhancing support for first-generation and low-income students.

An important component of our social justice work was helping community members cross cultural boundaries through dialogue. We developed Emory's nationally recognized open expression policy and educational program to foster debate, dialogue, and deliberation. This program has helped lay the foundation to build a more just community.

Emory is on track to fulfill our aspiration to shape sorority and fraternity life at Emory into a national leader at a time when Greek life is facing considerable challenges nationally. After years of work, I am confident that our active engagement of Greek and non-Greek students in partnership with alumni, faculty, and staff will rebuild trust and create a sustainable future for sorority and fraternity life at Emory that aligns with our university’s core values.

The time, encouragement, attention, and respect that members of the Emory family accord one another is something truly special. This spirit of generosity, which permeates our university community, has helped empower us to effectively address some of higher education’s most formidable challenges on our campus and beyond, while enhancing the Emory experience for students.

I am moving on at a time of incredible growth and progress for Emory. This great institution’s future is extraordinarily bright. I know you will carry on the vital work of building a more just community, one in which its members live what they learn and learn what they live every day of their Emory experience and throughout their lives.

I will always have a special place in my heart for the blue and gold.

With gratitude,

Ajay Nair