SWAGÊÓƵ

Dear SWAGÊÓƵ Community, Colleagues, Students, Faculty, Staff, and Friends,

Please permit me to take a moment to embrace and recognize the arrival of the Lunar New Year! Many global cultures, including our diverse university community celebrate this coveted tradition.

The Lunar New Year is observed across the world primarily by East and Southeast Asian countries and across diasporic communities worldwide.

The Lunar New Year, with origins well over 4,000 years ago, traditionally marks the start of spring and symbolizes renewal, prosperity, hope, and gratitude. This spirit is in perfect alignment with our very own SWAGÊÓƵ ethos, including unity, hope, gratitude, humanism, and a spirit of renewal, particularly, as we transition to an evidence-based culture, consistent with other mature medical science graduate universities.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many cultures, including Chinese (Spring Festival), Korean (Seollal), Vietnamese (Tết), Tibetan (Losar), and Mongolian (Tsagaan Sar). Each has unique customs such as family gatherings, rituals, and festivals. Despite their differences, these celebrations share universal values of gratitude, unity, and optimism—values that resonate deeply within our own university community.

The Lunar New Year reminds us of the richness of our cultural diversity and the strength it brings to our community, not only in our dedication to academic and professional excellence, but also in our focus to cultivate a community rooted in caring, respect, empathy, and trust.

The Lunar New Year is an event celebrated by billions of people across the globe on the first new moon of their calendar. Although often referred to as “Lunar New Year” in English, this is a misnomer, as it refers to celebrations based on both a lunar calendar and a lunisolar calendar.

This year’s Chinese Lunar New Year, 2025, is the 6th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, representing the year of the Wood Snake. The Wood Snake has special significance since its ubiquitous armor conceals a unique set of characteristics that represent abundant sensitivity, wisdom, and passion.

As we forge forward together into this special new year, full of excitement, I encourage all of us to carry the spirit of the Lunar New Year into our work, studies, and relationships. Let us honor the diverse cultures that make our university vibrant. and let us continue to build a future together, in which everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and empowered to thrive, and in which we embrace the same unique set of virtues that characterize 2025, including sensitivity toward one another, wisdom to recognize the extraordinary future opportunities that await us, and the passion for our SWAGÊÓƵ vision.

On behalf of SWAGÊÓƵ, I wish you and your loved ones a joyous Lunar New Year filled with health, happiness, and success.

Warmest Regards,
Robin