Welcome Dear alumni & friends, The first digital edition of Trinity Today is a milestone. With 131,000 alumni in over 148 countries, we felt it necessary to move beyond postal delivery and, as many of you will have found in your own lives, COVID-19 has accelerated online engagement and learning. We hope that our new format will be just as enjoyable and informative - and even more user-friendly - than the previous one. Wherever you’re living, you will undoubtedly have been affected by the pandemic this year. In this issue, we investigate COVID-19’s widespread impact – on the economy, on higher education, on climate change and on the arts – and we hear directly from alumni about their own experiences. If one theme has emerged over the last few months, it has been the importance of universities in times of challenge. Trinity has a particular legitimacy in this moment to share our research expertise and to show leadership. As he looks forward to the year ahead, the Provost outlines the ways in which the Inspiring Generations projects will benefit society and bring people together. The necessity to apply imagination and show resilience in the face of this exceptional crisis is a theme that arose again in Professor John Parnell’s article on the new trees planted in Library Square to replace the much-missed Oregon Maples. As John explains, the Chinese gingko was selected for its beautiful shape, its hardiness, its long lifespan and its slow growth. The two saplings we’ve planted will see many generations of students come and go before they reach full maturity. We hope they will become a fond feature of college. They will see unimaginable changes in their centuries-long lives but will remain rooted at the heart of a campus lastingly dedicated to seeding knowledge and sowing for the future. A big thanks to all who helped with the production of this year’s Trinity Today. We couldn’t have done it without you. Best wishes Jennifer Taaffe Director of Alumni & Supporter Relations Trinity Development & Alumni