A weekend event at the State University of New York at Fredonia offered a bit of hope for the future. During the “Go Big Blue Day” open house, nearly 850 attendees filled the Rockefeller Arts Center.

Accepted students and their families also were able to interact with a student panel, engage with faculty in various academic departments, and received information on financial aid during the event.

University officials said the turnout was the largest accepted students day reception at SUNY Fredonia since the COVID-19 pandemic began. That bit of news is greatly welcome by the community.

As many are well aware, enrollment during this spring semester has dipped to some of the lowest levels in decades. It is under 3,000 for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Northern Chautauqua County is defined in large part by the activities on that campus. Simply put, that’s reason to be optimistic.