It is with a full heart that I offer my most sincere congratulations to Earl Lewis on becoming the first U-M faculty member to receive the National Humanities Medal. Dr. Lewis is a distinguished scholar, an award-winning author and an educational leader, as well as a longstanding mentor and dear friend. As Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Emory University, he gave me the high gift of trust by naming me vice provost for academic initiatives, and today, as founding director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Solutions, he is leading the scholarship in justice and equity so necessary for us to advance as a prosperous democratic society. I could not imagine a better selection by the National Endowment for the Humanities and President Biden.