And here’s our Top Photos of 2020.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not surprisingly, readers were curious about how EMU was addressing the challenges of the pandemic, with the most-read article of 2020 \u2013 2,632 views \u2013 being an announcement that campus would open in the fall for in-person classes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With about half the number of reads, landing squarely in the middle of our Top Ten, was coverage of March developments<\/a>, which you\u2019ll recall, was just as the pandemic was beginning in the middle of spring semester 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We included the links to those articles with full knowledge that you most likely will not care to read them — or anything about the pandemic — again. Which is fine by us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On a happier note, more than 2,000 unique pageviews to our preview coverage heralded the immense interest in poet, theologian and conflict mediator P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Tuama<\/strong> and his September 2020 virtual visit. This article is also on the Top CJP Reads list<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a limited time, you can still view recordings of his seven appearances<\/a> over the five-day residency, including events hosted by the seminary, NPR affiliate WMRA and JMU\u2019s Furious Flower Poetry Center. His visit was the result of some visionary dreaming<\/a> and some lovely harmonic confluences of serendipity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our community of learners retains deep ties and great affection for emeritus faculty and staff. Our memorial articles about beloved faculty and staff members, such as those for Jay B. Landis<\/strong><\/a> and Nate Yoder<\/a> <\/strong>among others, were widely shared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An announcement<\/a> that activist Alicia Garza<\/strong> would headline CJP\u2019s summer anniversary celebration drew 1,500 reads (this article is also on the Top CJP Reads list<\/a>). The Black Lives Matter co-founder was to be the featured speaker at an evening gala during what promised to be a full weekend celebrating CJP\u2019s 25 years of global impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event was cancelled and rescheduled for June 2021. Garza is still slated to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now billed \u201c25+1,\u201d the event will be all virtual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notching nearly 1,400 views is our annual coverage<\/a> of those bright, talented stars joining other bright, talented stars in our upcoming first-year class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This annual spring coverage<\/a> announcing the seniors who have earned EMU\u2019s highest honor is always a perennial favorite (1,316 views). We sure it makes the rounds among grandparents, brothers, mothers, sundry cousins and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing the photo above because we know this group missed out on the normal recognitions, hugs, high fives, all that love, and the pageantry and closure of a graduation ceremony. But in spite of all that, look at their smiles! (Getting sentimental here, we love our students for their resiliency, their spirit and their vision and the way they inspire us every day in our work here.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n An announcement<\/a> of both a new administrative role and the new hire \u2013 Jason Good<\/strong> \u2013 drew 1,300 views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lovers of music and arts aficionados, and we have plenty among our readership, enjoyed an article about Benjamin Bergey<\/strong>, professor of music, and his experiments to enable EMU student-singers to safely rehearse and perform<\/a>. (And they did do both successfully this past semester, culminating in an outdoor concert that drew a delighted, though distanced audience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This chronicle of how EMU nursing faculty and the 17 seniors managed to adapt to near-daily changes, meeting their clinical requirements to graduate on time, had approximately 1,100 readers. We love this quote from Professor Kate Clark<\/strong> about experiencing these challenges with her colleagues and their students: <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have amazing dedicated faculty and a dynamic leader who brought us all together to put together a game plan that works. And students who trusted us and were ready to go with what we proposed. Everyone pitched in. EMU nursing shines in moments like this.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Notching just over a thousand hits was an announcement of the new board chair Manuel A. Nu\u00f1ez \u201894<\/strong>. He succeeded Kay B. Nussbaum<\/strong> ’78<\/strong>, who served EMU’s board with distinction, and through many challenging times, since 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EMU\u2019s cross cultural group in Guatemala was trapped behind suddenly closed borders this spring, but not for long thanks to a collaborative effort and some behind-the-scenes shoulder tapping. You can imagine this wasn\u2019t the first time in 30-plus years of the program\u2019s history that a group encountered tumult (natural or manmade) and endured some challenges. The article includes some of that history as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWithout further ado, here we go<\/strong>!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/a>Pandemic decisions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/05\/2020527-C19-Safety-News-features-1.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\n2. P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Tuama\u2019s visit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n3.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/a>Goodbyes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n4. CJP\u2019s 25th anniversary and Alicia Garza <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/02\/Alicia-Garza-Feature-Image.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\n4. Yoder and Webb Scholars <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n5. Cords of Distinction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/04\/Cords-of-Distinction-Feature-1000px.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n6. New VP<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n7. Still singing at EMU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/07\/2020721-C19-Singing-News-features2.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n8. Nursing grads head to the frontlines<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/03\/20200325-vdh-Call-Cntr-006-1000px.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n9. Board chair succession<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n10. Guatemala cross-cultural saga<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAnd once again, our All-Time Greatest Hit: <\/strong>Mark Loving on \u2018Loving\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2016\/11\/Mark-Loving-0010-1000px.jpg\")
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