For the Common Good

“Life in society requires consensus as an indispensable condition.” 

This quote from Solomon Asch offers timely insight during this uncertain and fraught time surrounding the coronavirus. A Polish American gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology, Asch taught at Swarthmore from 1947 to 1966. 

With the College forced to make painful and urgent decisions for the safety and well-being of the community, the unimaginable became real: Classes shifted to remote learning; students, faculty, and staff members were urged to avoid campus if at all possible; and Commencement and Alumni Weekend were canceled. And yet, the Swarthmore community rallied together. 

Earlier this semester, the Bulletin spring issue was in production to share stories of students’ horizons expanding, a campus transforming, and alumni investing for the common good. But then came a pandemic that seemed to stop everything. As we continue to navigate life and work in the era of COVID-19, we remain flexible and plan to tell the tales of Swarthmore — a community that even in the most dire of circumstances continues to change the world.