From the Dean: A mid-semester note of appreciation

Dear colleagues,

We are well into the fall semester, and I wanted to take a moment to check in and say thank you.

By this point in the semester, our days can become a steady rhythm of classes, meetings, deadlines, student needs, projects, and the many details that keep our College moving forward. It is easy to get caught up in what needs to happen next without pausing to recognize all that we have accomplished. Much of this work happens behind the scenes, and not all of it comes with an immediate or visible result. But it matters—and I am grateful for the care, expertise, and commitment you bring to it every day.

In recent weeks, I’ve watched staff and faculty members support students in crisis, pivot spring undergraduate courses to in-person rather than online instruction, celebrate multiple new multi-million dollar projects, forge new partnerships, and work out thorny issues to make systems more effective and efficient. And I know there are a lot of other things happening I haven’t witnessed firsthand!

I hope you will pause occasionally, recognize the progress you and your colleagues are making, and celebrate the small moments that remind you why you chose this work in the first place. Those moments of connection, curiosity, discovery, and shared accomplishment are worth noticing, especially when the to-do list seems never-ending.

Thank you for all you do for our students, our colleagues, and the College we share. I am proud of the work happening across our community, and I appreciate the many ways you contribute to it.

With appreciation,
Denise