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We Remember: Reflecting on 9/11 and Beyond

New York City skyline on 10th anniversary of 9/11 by Linda Orlando

Dear GCU Community Members:

Everyone of a certain age remembers where they were on September 11, 2001.  

It was a cloudless day with a bright blue sky—a hint of fall in the air. Many of us were just starting out the day—in school, at work—engaged in the quotidian activities of our lives. When we heard the Twin Towers had been struck by a plane, we thought it was a small accident. By that afternoon, our lives—and the course of history—had changed forever. 

The events of 9/11 affected all of us in some way. Some of us lost family members or friends in the attacks. Some of us had loved ones serve in the wars that followed. As a nation, we became more fearful, unwillingly becoming participants in a War on Terror that shifted the way we interacted with the unknown. Collectively, from that day on, we lost something critical: our ability to be carefree.   

Yet, even as being carefree became harder, being caring has been an inherent quality in us that remains. We came together then in a culture of mutual care, mobilizing around our collective trauma.  

Today, as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we again find ourselves in a time that demands from us a deep culture of care. The coronavirus, to date, has taken the lives of more than 660,000 people—220 times the number we lost on 9/11. The echoes of loss from 9/11 continue to ring as recently as two weeks ago when 13 U.S. service members and nearly 170 Afghans were killed in a bombing of the Kabul airport as the United States officially withdrew from Afghanistan. In retaliation, a U.S. drone strike against a suspected suicide bomber resulted in the death of more innocent civilians—a family with seven children among them. Even for those of our community members who were born after 9/11/2001, the time remains starkly with us.  

I write to you today to call us together for prayerful reflection. We must continue in our practice of mutual care while we also use the opportunity of being in a learning community to critically examine this moment in the context of history.  

I am thankful to be with you as we come together to contemplate, remember, and renew our commitment to care for one another. 

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D.
President

Photo by Linda M. Orlando ’07, trustee emerita, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, published in the Fall 2011 issue of GCU Magazine.

Aerial view of GCU.

About Georgian Court University

Georgian Court University is a leading regional university that provides a transformative education, preparing students for ethical leadership and service in the Catholic Mercy tradition. Founded in 1908 and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Georgian Court University is Central and South Jersey’s only Catholic university. The university has a strong liberal arts core and a historic special concern for women.

As a forward-thinking university that supports diversity and academic excellence, GCU is known for expanding possibility for more than 1,900 students of all faiths and backgrounds in 35+ undergraduate majors and 10+ graduate programs. The GCU Lions compete in 16 NCAA Division II sports in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). In 2020, GCU was named a Best Value College by Money.com and a Best Bang for the Buck (Northeast) by Washington Monthly. High student retention and graduation rates make GCU a Top Performer on Social Mobility on U.S. News & World Reports rankings.

The main campus is in Lakewood, New Jersey, on the picturesque former George Jay Gould estate, a National Historic Landmark. Georgian Court, which is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, also serves students through its Center for Professional Studies, and at other locations, including GCU at Brookdale, and through multiple online degree and certificate programs.

Deposit Deadline Extended to June 1

Georgian Court University has extended the deposit deadline to June 1 in response to the U.S. Department of Education announcement concerning delayed data availability from the revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, deposits are also refundable up to June 1. Click here for more information about the deposit extension.