Good afternoon.
Welcome to you, all of you here in
the Shirley Beggs Ballroom at the Rhatigan Student
Center and to Friends of Wichita State University
watching livestream or later on video.
I'm Rick Muma, Provost of Wichita State, and
I'm pleased to welcome you to this celebration
of life honoring President John Bardo.
He became President in July 2012 and
served until his death March 12, 2019.
In recognition of Dr.
Bardo's dedicated and caring service to the WSU
community, the Faculty Senate has awarded Dr.
Bardo the Distinguished Service Faculty Award.
The Faculty Senate felt he exemplified all the characteristics
needed for this award, including notable efforts to connect
the university and the community and a long term
commitment to WSU through extensive service.
Dr.
Bardo often said he loved Wichita State and Wichita,
and that really began with his love of his
wife, Deborah Davis, whom he met in Neff Hall. Mrs.
Bardo is here today with her family.
Deborah is very much a part of John's
work, from editing his academic writing to sharing
many evenings and weekends at university events.
It's her dedicated work that we
would like to also recognize.
Today, it is my pleasure to announce that
the Division of Academic Affairs has awarded Mrs.
Bardo emeritus status.
Please join current Faculty Senate President Betty Smith Campbell
and President Jeff Jarman in thanking Deborah for all
she has done, her son Christopher, her father Wayne,
her sisters, Val and Cindy, Val's, spouse Cathy, and
Gretchen, who's Christopher's partner, and many friends that have
given to John and Wichita State.
Over the next hour, you'll have a chance to
hear in person and on video from dozens of
people who knew President Bardo, ranging from some of
his oldest friends still on campus, to some who
only met him in the past few years.
But all of us were changed by knowing him.
Remembering this celebration is not a
memorial service, but a celebration,
You may cry, but John would also want you
to laugh and enjoy each other's company. Afterwards reassemble
downstairs on the first floor of the RSC for
his favorite type of event, an ice cream social.
Today's program will move the way John
Bardo always liked to move -- swiftly.
Trust me, I know this.
First, you'll hear from a person at his
side throughout his presidency, Chief of Staff Andy
Schlatt, then from President Bardo himself.
Remember that the mission in our university
and our strategic plan is to be
an essential educational, cultural and economic driver
for Kansas and the greater public good.
In that spirit,
Sheree Utash will talk about education, Shirley The Lefever and
Bobby Berry about culture, John Tomblin about economic development,
and many others on video talking about President Bardo's
impact in each of these areas.
Interim President Andy Tompkins will talk with you about
his continuing vision and mission begun under Dr. Bardo.
Then, as appropriate, Dr.
Bardo will end the program in his
own words, in a style uniquely his.
We all know how dedicated Dr.
Bardo was to wanting to see positive change quickly.
Andy Schlapp, one of John's closest advisors and
friends, learned this early in their time together.
I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to
be here today, to be back at this university that
Deborah and I both love so dearly and to be
part of this wonderful community and back with our family.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for being
here today and for taking part in this ceremony.
And I think back on the folks who hired me here
when I was a pretty green 24 year old, really didn't
know much about anything, but they gave me a chance.
And for that I will be eternally grateful.
And it really is humbling to be
counted among the greats of this university.
Morrison, Corbin, Ahlberg and Beggs.
As John said, his roots at Wichita State
began when he was 24 years old.
Freshly minted assistant professor of sociology.
Just out of his doctoral program at Ohio State.
His academic interest revolved around the relationships
between higher education, the economy, and quality
of life in urban areas.
He pursued these interests throughout his career.
During his first years at Wichita State, he made
lifetime friends, including Ron Matson, Charlie Bursdsall, Bob Ross,
Dean and Esther Headley and Mark Glaser.
Picture the lean, dark haired
young sociology Professor John Bardo.
One of Dr.
Bardo's first important acts as President
was to help the university launch
its first strategic planning process.
From that process came the vision, mission,
values and goals that guide us today. Everything Dr.
Bardo did was to advance the strategic plan.
He wanted us to implement it together to enlarge
WSU's role as an educational, cultural and economic driver
for Kansas and the greater public good.
The first pillar of our mission is
to be an essential educational driver.
In each of the coming segments, you'll see
excerpts of video interviews talking about Dr.
Bardo's contributions, followed by speakers.
And after the next video, Sherry Utash, President of WSU
Tech and vice President of workforce development for Wichita State,
will speak about education
So good afternoon.
What an honor to celebrate the
life of John Bardo today.
John Bardo was a teacher.
He was an innovator, a scholar, a
visionary, an entrepreneur, and a collaborator that
was incredibly courageous and bold.
And you take all of those qualities together
and accompany them with he had an incredible
passion, and he was an intelligent risk taker. To me,
He was a consummate, lifelong learner.
He had the incredible appetite and desire
to read, to learn, and to understand.
Every morning he had a reading routine, and many of us
in this room received emails from him on a daily basis
encouraging us to read and to learn and to understand.
He was an advocate for education at every
level, and he believed in an educated populace,
which included a quality education for everyone.
How often did we hear him say, "Access to
education without quality is no bargain for anyone?"
His admiration for faculty was so affirming
as he often spoke of the global
class education students received at Wichita State
University taught by world class faculty.
Dr.
Bardo was a thought leader.
He was a design thinker who
was committed to transforming WSU into
a student centered, innovation driven university.
He believed WSU was the University of this
city and that drove his vision to create
applied and interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students.
His belief that research of the faculty informs
students every day in their classrooms and that
WSU is at the epicenter for our community,
for the development of human capital.
These were hallmarks of his never ending
quest to raise the University forward.
The Innovation Campus was driven by his vision
to create a place where students could work
with faculty and businesses to create something new.
He believed that students should learn not only
how to know, but how to do.
The dream of the Innovation Campus was to engage
with business and industry faculty and students in a
new way to move the university into the future.
And he emphasized a public private partnership not only
on the 120 acres that used to be Braeburn
Golf Course, but he wanted that to permeate through
every aspect of WSU, transforming the entire enterprise into
a student centered and innovation driven university.
As a man who understood economic development
and certainly understood disruptive modernization of higher
education, he challenged all of us to
transform the world through innovation, applied learning,
entrepreneurship, and economic impact.
When I started talking with him in 2015 about WATC
and WSU coming together in some way, I had no
idea that what I was about to enter would become
one of the greatest highlights of my career.
I worked with him for 30 months on
this, and as we worked, our focus was
always on students and on building a model
that would serve business and industry and provide
new and continued pathways for educational achievement.
What we talked about was we dreamed of the future,
but we kept our focus on students in our community.
Dr.
Bardo would often say in the video just said
this, that what WSU and WSU Tech created was
a continuum of GED to PhD for this community.
One of my fondest memories of President Bardo was doing a
video karaoke segment with him, and I will tell you that
the day that we did it, I thought to myself, I
don't know what I've just done, but he probably thinks I
am the craziest person that ever walked this Earth.
But he was a great sport.
We started this video karaoke to really talk to
people about what was the importance of the affiliation.
So we started in the parking lot at
NCAT with a car that was broke down.
And he pulled out his phone and he
said, I've got this new Wuber app.
And so he Wubered it and all of a sudden
up drives Wu in a big SUV and he jumps
out and President Bardo and I jump in and I'm
the driver and he's on the shotgun side.
And we start down Webb and we get on
96 and probably going about 60 miles an hour.
And we're having this great
conversation back and forth.
And there's GoPro cameras everywhere in this vehicle.
I mean, they're everywhere.
So we're on camera the entire time
and there's all these cameras on us.
And so we're talking about
the benefits of the affiliation.
And why is the affiliation important for students and
for community and for each of our institutions.
And as we talked about this and as we
went along, then we broke into song on Steinfield
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).” I will tell you, it
was a little tame and timid in the beginning.
I think he probably was looking at me like, Whoa.
Anyway, so by the time we got to Morrison
parking lot, though, I will tell you, we were
both singing at the top of our lungs.
We were laughing our heads off and
we were having a great time.
And I share that with you because he loved life and he
had a great sense of humor and he loved to laugh.
And how many times when you were working on a
project with him, would he say, Aren't we having fun?
Isn't this fun?
And I love that about him.
So that is really one of my fondest memories.
I don't know which one of us had the most fun, but
I will tell you, I did call Lou Heldman the next morning
and say, Lou, what in the world did I do yesterday?
I feel like I need to go to his
office with a paper sack over my head.
He said, don't worry about it. He had fun.
So we worked for 30 months on
this affiliation and the economic success.
One of the things he said about that
was the economic success of this state is
at the very heart of what WSU does.
It informs every decision we make.
And I thought that quote was really good
because it really embodied, I think President Bardo,
he also said about the affiliation, this is
a natural partnership that ensures the state of
Kansas remains competitive with its neighbors.
And it's attractive to companies looking to explore
new approaches to innovation, creativity, and research.
So as I close my remarks today,
I would end with this: John Bardo.
In my 30 months working with him,
he challenged me to think differently.
He challenged me to be more collaborative.
He taught me how to take roadblocks dead on.
And he gave me the opportunity to work with
him to create a very unique model for higher
education, for Kansas and for our nation.
So I know for all of you, he
challenged all of us to think differently.
He challenged us to be bold, be courageous.
He taught us to embrace and celebrate our differences
and to understand that change is part of what
makes the university have a vibrant future.
He often said, WSU is an intellectual giant in
the middle of the country, and it's waking up.
We are so fortunate that his legacy will live on with
all of us, and it will inform many generations to come.
His hope and desire was to position this university
as a key driver of the future of Wichita.
So let's honor him and let's keep that momentum going.
And as we all know what he would say next.
So say it with me on the count of 3.123.
It's a great day to be a Shocker!
The second pillar of WSU's mission is
to be an essential cultural driver.
First, you'll see interview excerpts on this topic.
Then Shirley Lefever and Bobby Berry
from the College of Applied Studies will
talk about culture change during Dr.
Bardo's presidency.
President Bardo truly believed in WSU.
He believed in its people and our capacity to
respond to needs of those we serve and our
ability to make our community a better place.
When I first became Dean, I very quickly
learned he was not about the status quo.
He thought big, and he challenged the
rest of us to think big, too.
He encouraged us to think about
who and how we serve others.
And that thinking really resulted in our college engaging
in a process of not only changing the name
of our college from the College of Education to
the College of Applied Studies, but we also began
looking at all of the programs and initiatives within
our college and since then have created new or
revised programs in every department.
However, I think the most important thing to know about
the changes that occurred in our college is that it's
not unique to the College of Applied Studies.
Virtually every college across campus has
new and revised programs that are
spurring a growing interest in WSU.
I remember not so long ago a conversation
a group of us had with Dr. Bardo.
He was so excited, telling us about "esports" and
how it's one of the fastest growing initiatives on
college campuses today and what we should be thinking
about in terms of programs and opportunities that might
be appealing to students and the career opportunities that
were likely to emerge for students with these interests.
All the while I'm sitting there thinking "esports".
Is that a lowercase E or a capital E?
I was focused on the immediate,
he was focused on the future.
But you know what?
We have an esports team on campus now,
and we have new degree programs and applied
learning opportunities that are aligned with esports.
I just think this story
exemplifies how he approached things.
When a new idea, trend, or concept emerged, he
always saw the big picture and he saw it
as an opportunity for us to respond. Dr.
Bardo changed WSU in ways beyond
the physical transformation that's obvious.
He communicated a sense of urgency and showed us
the importance of listening intently and responding adeptly.
His lasting influence is evidenced in the attention WSU
is getting nationally, and it is evidenced by the
people who aspire to be part of the University,
whether that's private industry, community leaders, or faculty students
or staff, we are all changed.
And as a result, WSU as a whole is
better positioned to respond to needs of our community.
Now I would like to introduce my colleague Bobby
Berry, a clinical educator in the College of Applied
Studies and the director of the Fuse.
Good afternoon.
I'd like to share four ways President
Bardo's mission for the university to be
a culture driver has impacted me personally.
I spent ten years on this campus as
a student and a faculty member, and I've
watched a culture evolve almost beyond belief under
President Bardo's guidance and direction,
our student population and the faces within
the administration now more frequently look like
me as a black man in 2019.
there is something powerful about interacting
and engaging with those who look
like you who have similar experiences.
The culture change inspires me every day as
I navigate through my career in higher education.
In 2017, I had the honor
of joining the President's Diversity Council.
Being able to sit at a table every
month with President Bardo and hear his passion
for Wichita and the surrounding community was incredible.
He was always looking for opportunities to uplift,
empower and elevate those whose voices were often
unheard both on and off this campus.
During the time of getting to know President Bardo,
seeing, how important it was to him that we
lived at our mission and vision at this institution.
To me, that was the true definition of a leader.
Even within our strategic plan, campus
culture and diversity are highlighted.
Not only are they highlighted, but they are embedded in
the legacy that he has left us at Wichita State.
Lastly, Dr.
Bardo's notion of culture change has
helped me shape my college.
I'm the director of the Fuse, which is an
outreach initiative for the College of Applied Studies.
That role has allowed me the opportunity to go
out and engage with nonprofits, create markets based tuition
classes, host fundraisers, and even have a dedicated day
of service every semester, which has helped me connect
not only the students within my college, but the
faculty and staff to the surrounding community.
I am grateful to have known, worked
with, and learned from such a visionary.
Only two words can truly sum up my appreciation of the
legacy that he has left us here Wichita State.
Those words are thank you.
The third pillar of WSU's mission is to be an
essential economic drive for Kansas and the greater public good.
First, a short video followed by John
Tomblin speaking about working with Dr.
Bardo on this vision.
So I'm John Tomblin, I'm going to talk
about this economic driver pillar that Dr. Bardo had.
So I remember I've been at the university
for 25 years, and I remember when Dr.
Bardo came and said, John, I want you to be a
Vice President and I really want this economic driver side.
We're about Applied Learning and economic driver.
And he said, let's grab the lunch.
Okay?
So those of you know who know
my accent, I'm from West Virginia.
So I said, okay, let's grab the lunch.
And he said, where do you want to go?
And I said, Somewhere with meat.
And he says, no, let's do Indian or Thai.
And I'm like, okay, you're the boss.
I don't know if I'm going to
regret that, but I will go.
So I do not think that for the rest of my
life that I will eat at an Indian restaurant or a
Thai restaurant and not think about John Bardo first.
So actually, when we were at lunch, I said, John.
He said, John, this is my last job.
He said, this is the last job I'm going to have.
And I asked him, I said, well, at the end of your
job, what do you want to see and he had the vision.
And he said, you know, John, honestly, he said,
when I'm done, he said, I want the university
to be stronger than when I took over.
He said, that's what I really want.
He says, if I come and when I leave, he
said, I want Wichita State to be stronger for.
And so then he started the economic driver piece.
He said, John, I want you to leave this.
I said, okay, I just finished up the Colosseum part.
And I said, okay, I can do this.
So he said, John, we're building a dorm on campus.
That was his first thing to do.
I need students on campus, this commuter campus.
We're going to be a real university, and we're
going to build a residence hall on campus.
So that means we're going to take down Wheatshocker.
And then we took down Wheatshocker.
He said, John, he says, do you realize that we're
one of the few research universities in the United States
that doesn't have a research park, research campus?
And I'm like, okay.
He says, where Wheatshocker is?
He says, I want to build a research building there.
He said, I want it to be a partnership building.
He said, I want industry on campus with us.
And I said, okay.
He said, will you bring me back a design for that?
I said, yes, Sir, I will.
So I worked hard with the architects,
and I brought him back a design.
It was right in the place of Wheatshocker.
It was one building.
And I said, what do you think?
He said, I liked it, but we're missing
the point of what we could be.
And I said, well, what do you want me to do, John?
I mean, he said, bring me back a bigger plan.
And I'm like, okay, I'll bring back a bigger plan.
So I sit down with the architects and
I said, okay, how many buildings can we
put in the footprint of Wheatshocker?
How many buildings can we get?
And they said and they said, I think we can get three,
but we have to trim one stroke off of the par four.
And I'm like, so, one stroke, that's not bad.
It turns that one dog leg par four into a par three.
I'm not a real big avid golfer, but I
think we should be able to do that.
I'm going to go present it to him.
So I remember walking into his office, and I
rolled out the plans, and it had three buildings
and a nice little circle drive around.
Parking was still a problem.
And I said, what do you think?
And he says, is there that much space there?
I'm like, well, John, I have to take one stroke off.
He says, I am not going to be
the President to take that golf course.
He says, I'm not going to do it, John.
So don't you bring me back.
But I don't like this it still doesn't seem right.
I'm like, okay, I'll go back again.
So I worked.Worked.
I mean, they had a master plan for the University.
We rolled out the master plan.
And then I had a plan that took out entire golf course.
It had a pedestrian mall, it
had restaurants, it had a hotel.
And I remember because I told my wife
the night before, I said, I don't know.
He told me he was not going to take the golf course.
I didn't consider myself his friend there.
He was still my boss.
So I rolled this plan out and I said,
John, I said, before I roll this out.
And Andy Schlapp was in there too. Andy Schlapp.
I said, Before I roll this out.
I said, It is big.
He said, that's what I wanted.
I said, It fits the mission
of Applied Learning and economic driver.
I said, but it's going to
be different than other universities have.
He said, that's what I want.
So I rolled it down on his
desk and I still remember his face.
He looked at it and he says, this is it.
I said, what?
He said, this is it.
And I said, So we have to take the golf course.
He said, I know we better get Lou in here really quick.
So that started out.
So he already knew that was the piece
that started out the process of working.
And I remember he used to call me at night
and we'd be on the phone hours at a time.
And Deborah, I'm sorry for all the hours, but I
mean, we were on the phone and it seems
like every other night and talking about this.
And he said, John.
He said, we need to be relevant.
He said, we're going to do this.
We need to be relevant.
He says, I need a big name.
And I'm like, okay.
So I remember saying, how big is big?
And he says, I need a nationally
recognized name as the start of this.
That's what I went out and searched for.
And I remember talking to John O'Leary
at Bella Luna and I laid out.
So John gave me the vision and
I laid out his vision to everybody.
And I said, this was the vision of what we want to do.
I remember John left.
He says, I don't think so.
And I don't know if John's in here. John left.
And he called me the next day
and he says, I think we're in.
And I called John and John said,
that's the name that I want.
And he says, I want it in lights
and I want it up at night.
He said, I want every student to see
this is what Applied Learning is about.
So that was the vision from the very get go.
Then we went on and I said, okay, John, this
golf course doesn't have any sewer system in it.
It doesn't have any water in it.
How are we going to pay for it.
And that was when John's vision.
I mean, I really have to thank the county and the
city because they saw his vision, too, with a twelve vote.
I mean, they gave us the
funding to implement this grand plan.
So I know I saw some county
commissioners and some City Council people here.
Thank you because Wichita State is a community
and you are part of the community.
And that's just like this is
what Wichita is going to be.
And I mean, it was just John's vision.
So then one of the things of the innovation campus.
I remember talking to him when he was at Wesley
and we were talking about the innovation campus and we
were talking about what new buildings we might have.
And I was like, John, you know, I feel like a failure.
And he said, John, why do you feel like a failure?
I said, I remember watching after we got the
sewer system done and watching Airbus building going up.
I was up in the top of Eck Stadium
and I called John because I just got a
phone call and I said, we have a hotel. We have a hotel.
It's going to break ground within six months.
He's like, that's what I want.
I still don't have a hotel, but it may be
very soon that you're going to see one break ground.
I just wanted John to see the hotel break ground.
So the other part is John
said, John, we're a real university.
I mean, to be an economic driver, to be applied,
learning our research side, I know you what you do
at night, our research side is very lacking.
He said, I've been at other University.
I've been at a research university before.
He said, you need to concentrate on this.
He said, I want to see numbers.
He said, before I retire, he said, I would
love to see which stuff stayed at $100 million.
And I said, John, I've been here long.
I don't know if that's possible.
I think that vision is a bridge too far.
And I mean that vision.
I said, I will try.
So when John started, we were at
$52 million in awards. Last year,
we were at $104,000,000.
So $104,000,000.
So we passed the threshold.
And I think that if John were still alive,
when I make an announcement come August time frame,
it's going to go way more than 104.
So the vision is still there.
And when we had General Murray here
on Monday, he saw the vision, too.
Four star gentleman in charge of Futures Command. He saw it.
He's been to other universities.
He saw the vision.
So one of the things I also
talked to John about is John.
I mean, the problem is we may run out of students
with the population of Kansas, we may run out of students.
And he said, okay, well, we'll get to work on that.
He worked with Rick.
Rick Muma was the instrument of this plan and he said,
you know what he said I'm going to come up with
-- he was a great statistician and a great strategic person--
he's like, I'm going to go up and down.
Ever since he was here, he talked
about this I 35 corridor with economics.
And he says, you know what?
He says, I'm going to artificially
grow the state of Kansas. He said, I'm going to start
this I 35 corridor strategy.
And we did that.
And then the past three, four years,
we've grown our student enrollment, pulling up
the I 35 quarter over 200%.
So that's another huge achievement
that brings students in.
So then one more item is John
and I commonly well, let me talk.
When he started the innovation campus and I took
it over, I'm like John, there's going to be
a lot of people that resist this.
He said, John, that is the natural part of change.
People resist change.
And he says, you need to go forward.
And I was like, okay, I think about that now.
And it taught me a lot.
And I think the analogy I have is like going
to the YMCA, going to a gym and lifting weights.
You don't get stronger unless you have resistance.
Just think about that.
Unless I have resistance, I don't ever get stronger.
I think of the resistance that we got.
It only made us stronger to the vision.
And later on, I was always able
to make John laugh because later as
we started this resistance, resistance, resistance.
And we had comments here, comments there.
I think it did wear on John a little bit.
And I was always able to make him smile
because Andy and John and I were set and
we'd say, how much resistance is too much.
If you think about that analogy, you try to bench press,
take on too much weight without a spotter, you're never going
to get it up and it may crush it.
So it is always that fine line on
the good resistance and the too much resistance.
And John was always talking to me about John,
we can tolerate a certain amount of resistance.
And later on then we had this resistance.
And I said, how much resistance is too much?
And then Andy said, well, John, you
know, elections, they're only won by 4%.
The person who wins the election usually gets 52% of
the vote and the person who loses gets 48%.
So that's 48% of the people are resisting.
And John said, well, that's way too much.
We can never do anything.
And then he said, well, what about a supermajority?
What about two thirds if we had
30% of people upset with us?
He said, that's still too much.
And I'm like John.
He said, I want less resistance.
And that's where I always got him, because I
said we were in a meeting in John's table,
and I still remember him looking at me because
I don't even know where this came from.
I'm like, well, John, Jesus only got eleven out
of twelve, so it's got to be in between
the supermajority and eleven out of twelve.
He laughed.
I would always be able to make him laugh because
I would get him on the phone and he would
talk about what happened, what articles being written.
I'm like, John, eleven out of twelve.
And he would always laugh.
So in closing, I think one of the greatest privileges
that I'll ever have in my professional life was working
for a man with that vision because he empowered you.
Just go get it done. Just go get it done.
And he had the vision.
He had to educate from using an academic world and
how that can be an economic driver was just remarkable.
So I always think that's one of
my greatest privileges to work alongside.
He was a great boss and an even greater friend.
So I'll end there and introduce our next speaker.
So under Dr.
Bardo's leadership, those in the room today and
others across the campus have worked tirelessly to
reposition Wichita State as this educational, cultural and
economic driver for Kansas and the greater good.
Now, Andy Tompkins, our interim President, my
new boss, will talk about how we
sustain that momentum in the months ahead.
It's too bad John isn't
enthusiastic about anything, isn't it?
I want you to know I'm deeply honored to
be here today, but what do you think?
Do you feel like you've celebrated a little bit?
Hasn't this been just a touching and moving thing
and also a thing of kind of joy?
And I've had the privilege when I was out front
getting to see all the kinds of people in different
walks of life that are coming here, former Regents, current
Regents, city, county officials, people from the community.
I mean, we have the whole gamut of people that wanted
to make sure today was a part of their day.
And so I want to start first
by saying thank you for being here.
It would honor John deeply that you're
here, and we're so glad you're here.
There's abundant evidence that in the too short time
he was with us, he positively reshaped this university
and helped to raise Wichita State standing in the
community, the state and the nation.
You know, he would always say it wasn't him.
It was all of you and this
supportive community that made it happen.
He believed that what you were doing wasn't new.
It had its roots in the traditions of Fairmont
College, Wichita University, and the leaders that preceded him.
That's why he sat at President Clark Ahlberg's desk
and talked with passion about the students on the
football team that were the original Wheatshockers.
This summer, as the search process for a new
president takes shape and the board of Regents are
looking for a new President of Wichita State, they're
going to be hoping it's someone who builds on
the work that you and President Bardo have done
together these last seven years.
I look forward to seeing all of the work you've
done continue to the next level in the coming months
while I'm with you and under the next new president.
In a few minutes, we'll reconvene,
as you know, downstairs to enjoy.
We were going to have that outside,
but the weather changed a little bit.
So we're going to be on the first
floor here for an ice cream social.
But before that, I'd ask you to turn your attention
to the video screens one final time to hear Dr.
Bardo's friend Esther Headley.
And then a few final thoughts from John himself.
And thanks again for joining us today.