Transit Umbra Lux Permanet
Shadow Passes, Light Remains

A sundial on the south wall of Philips Memorial Building is inscribed with this phrase in the original Latin. The sundial was a gift from the Class of 1944 on the occasion of its 50th reunion.

You need to look carefully to find the sundial – a glossy-leafed magnolia growing nearby competes for attention. But when Sue and I take walks around our now quiet campus, I find my eye drawn not to the profusion of greenery and spring blooms but to this simple, solid sundial and its reassuring words.

The Class of 1944 graduated at a time when the University and the entire world were rocked with uncertainty. Yet we rose to the immense challenges then, just as we are rising to meet immense new challenges today.

Rest assured, nothing will ever stop us from fulfilling our core mission – now and always, West Chester University is razor-focused on student success. We count on technology more than ever in these extraordinary times but we also count on what’s been critical to our success in ordinary times – the industrious, adaptable and highly creative faculty and staff who are the lifeblood of this institution. While our buildings may be shuttered, our dynamic University is going strong.