From the Dean: Welcome to fall semester

Dear Mary Frances Early College of Education staff and faculty members,

As we prepare to embark on another academic year, I hope this message finds you excited for the opportunities that lie ahead! I especially want to extend my welcome to the 18 new faculty who will be profiled in a later issue of COEfyi as well as the staff members who have joined us recently.

On Monday, we will come together as a community from 10 a.m.-noon in Mahler Hall at the Georgia Center. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.; please plan to come early to talk with colleagues and enjoy some refreshments before the meeting begins.

Following up on our conversations at the 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference, the theme of our fall meeting is belonging. Belonging—feeling included and valued and able to bring your authentic self to work—is crucial for both individual well-being and the well-being of our community. Individuals can only thrive and fully contribute to the community when they feel psychologically safe and when they are respected and appreciated for the unique value they bring to the group. And the community only thrives when every member is embraced for who they are and what they bring to the conversation. Where do you feel like you belong? Where do you not feel that you belong, and what needs to happen for you to feel accepted, included, and a member of our community?

To belong to a community, one must also have a shared sense of purpose with that community. This is a good time for us, individually and collectively, to remember our why. Why do I do the work I do? Why did I choose this field? This position? This institution? What am I passionate about? What activities and types of engagement fuel that passion? I challenge you to answer these questions for yourself and actively solicit and listen to your colleagues’ answers to these questions. How does being in community with others help us all advance our passions? What does community look like for each of us?

Parallel to these individual questions are questions for the groups to which we belong—programs, departments, people working in the same role across the College. How does being in community with others help our unit achieve its goals? What does community look like for the larger group of people engaged in the work? How do we balance individual and community needs? How does our community embrace the diversity of individuals’ ideas, backgrounds, skills, knowledge, and perspectives that make our work stronger?

It is important for us to get clear on what we value and how we thrive, both individually and collectively, as the evolving national conversation about higher education is going to present us with some challenges that will require our ingenuity and flexibility. Our collective expertise and determination will help us craft solutions that are consistent with our goals and values.

We thrive as a community by collaborating, supporting one another, and embracing change as an opportunity for growth. Our shared passion and purpose will ensure that we succeed in our teaching, research, and service missions, collectively and individually.

Welcome to a new academic year filled with promise, challenges, and the chance to make a lasting impact. I look forward to seeing you on Monday as we collectively engage in conversation about the community we want to belong to in the Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Denise A. Spangler