as we adapt to a new reality. We are also hard at work planning for when this is over, so that UAB will be an even stronger and better organization to serve the people of Alabama." UAB and the UA System offered in-person, hybrid and remote classes during academic year 2020–21 with masking, social distancing and other safety measures in place. Despite the pandemic, UAB achieved in fall 2020 a fifth consecutive year of record overall enrollment (22,563) as well as record retention (86.4%). Watts commended the resiliency and adaptability of UAB students as well as faculty and staff. "Our talented, diverse and deserving students have remained resilient during a time of many unknowns and constant change....Our faculty and staff are effectively mentoring and inspiring our students, united behind collaboration, innovation, diversity and all of our shared values. We will continue to forge ahead in all areas of our mission." In December 2020, Watts officially signed the Okanagan Charter, making UAB the first internationally recognized Health Promoting University] (HPU) in the U.S. In May 2021, approximately one year after implementing the Limited Business Model, UAB began a two-phase return of employees to campus, and resumed offering only fully face-to-face or fully online classes in summer 2021. In a message entitled "Vigilance and Victory over COVID" in the spring/summer 2021 issue of UAB Magazine, Watts wrote "Together we have confronted the worst global pandemic of our lifetimes with the very best of our collective will and collaborative spirit. We have persevered through 13 months marked by hope, heartache and heroism, and we remain vigilant as the light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter by the day....When we first developed our strategic plan for 2018 through 2022, we intentionally designed a dynamic plan that would adapt to ever-changing circumstances. We could not have known just how adaptable the plan would have to be in the median year of 2020. Thanks to all of you, our ongoing planning and collaboration is bringing success in all pillars of our mission, as together we finish this fight and continue forging the future." In his 2021 State of the University Address on October 17, Watts highlighted a number of historic strides UAB had made over the past year despite the pandemic, including the fall 2021 freshman class that was the university's largest (2,415) and most diverse ever at 65 percent female, 45 percent underrepresented,