The below message was sent to faculty, staff, and students on August 31, 2026.
Dear Bryn Mawr Community,
Welcome – to new students and returners, to staff and to faculty, to those who traveled from across the globe and to those who came from just around the corner. Welcome to those who have been part of our community for years and to those who have just arrived, to those who have long practiced Bryn Mawr's distinct traditions and to those who are just learning them.
Today we begin the College's 141st academic year. We join generations of smart, insightful, ambitious, talented, world-changing students and scholars who created this beautiful place, year by year and step by step. Bryn Mawr is a place of rich traditions and bold leadership, and this is an exciting time for our community.
It is a joy to embark on this new academic year with each of you.
Last week, we welcomed more than 450 new undergraduate and graduate students to campus and more than 40 new faculty. As they joined the Bryn Mawr community, I reflected with our undergraduates about what I learned from our family's summer road trip about planning, serendipity (and the importance of having good snacks!). Careful planning and hard work led us to this place. And – as with a road trip – openness to serendipity is often how we make the most of it.
As we begin, I hope you will join me in leaving space for the new, staying open, choosing the detour from the itinerary, and taking a chance on the unexpected in our loving and caring community. Reaching beyond our comfort zones can feel hard, and Bryn Mawr's faculty-created Institute of Failure will support us through their programs, such as the popular Failure Monologues, this fall.
Among my summer reading, I noted some wise advice from the writer and researcher Margaret Wheatley. She counsels:
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don't know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
Be intrigued by the differences you hear. Expect to be surprised.
To the year,
Wendy
Wendy Cadge
President and Professor of Sociology
Bryn Mawr College
101 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Pronouns: she/her
brynmawr.edu
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