Alma Mater’s welcoming arms are ever open, even as the campus remains in flux due to the corona- virus pandemic. The 10,000-pound statue, created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1929, is flanked by attendant figures named after the University’s motto “Learning and Labor.” The sculpture stands as a symbol of our hopes in the uncertain times of 2020: We all are eager to welcome “normalcy,” and the return of in-class education and a fully opened economy.