Dear friends,

By now most of you know of the tragic campus shooting on the FSU campus at Strozier Library. Our students, faculty, staff, and all friends in the community of the College of Social College of Social Work share in the pain and anguish of the affected students and their loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as we navigate the difficult healing journey. Such tragedies are difficult to understand but at FSU, we are fortunate to have excellent support services and outstanding law enforcement to help us through such an extraordinary event. Of course our College will do everything possible now and in the days ahead in working with university programs to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our FSU family.

I offer a quote from Nikki Giovanni’s response to the Virginia Tech tragedy:

“We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again….The Hokie (we can sure substitute Seminole) Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and possibilities.”

And I offer my own simple poem:

Hope

Hope
is the belief
that one hand
reaching to another
can eventually
touch the moon,
allowing the light
to guide us
through the night.

And my thanks to so many of you who have already sent messages of support and assistance. Indeed there is a thread that connects us no matter the distance or time.

Peace,

Nick

Nicholas F. Mazza, Ph.D.
Dean and Patricia V. Vance Professor of Social Work