First, I want to wish you all a happy new year. I look forward to the start of the semester next week and Welcome Back day on Friday. Like many of you, I am deeply troubled by what happened in Washington D.C. earlier this month. The peaceful transitions of power throughout our history are a beacon of hope to many throughout the world. I strongly believe in our constitutional rights...
For my final update this year, I simply want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your dedication to our students and our mission over these past months. There are so many stories to tell and share about the ways we have come together to do amazing things. I can in no way cover all of them I know about, and I am sure I am only aware of a small percentage of the stories...
I trust you had at least a little time to relax and unplug from all we are dealing with last week. It sure feels like we are in a marathon, and the finish line keeps getting moved before we are even close to reaching it. I encourage you all to stay the course and keep modeling safe practices to those around you.
There are many things to give thanks for during this coming week. Family and friends, whether they live near or far, feature prominently for many of us.
I trust you are doing well. If you are like me, the last nine months sure feels much longer than that, most days. I am grateful for the ability to work in a place of service to others, but I sure hope the vaccines stay the course of their initial success levels, become approved and widely available and help our world combat this virus.
I trust you are doing well in spite of the emergencies on top of emergencies we continue to face and overcome. This is a little longer of an update, starting with some business relating to the changing tiers we find our area in and the way in which it affects our operations, followed by some great success stories.
I want to acknowledge right at the beginning of this message the significance of today’s date. 19 years ago, I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news of the 9/11 attacks. I recall the feelings of numbness and disbelief that it could be happening. Many of our traditional observances of this anniversary are not happening this year locally with the poor air quality...
I continue to be impressed by your resiliency and flexibility as we work remotely, interact through screens like never before, and support each other through shared, and often humorous, work-from-home experiences. The work you are doing to keep our campuses safe and the innovations brought forth in support of our programs is making a significant difference in our community and our students’ lives.
I trust you continue to adapt to this new normal, one that I sure hope changes sooner rather than later. It just feels like the year of the lost summer - it does not feel like it can be the end of August already. I am sure many of you are worn down by this constant stress and uncertainty. I gain strength by reflecting on how lucky I am to have such meaningful work - what we are doing is...
To the Shasta College Community: I trust you are doing as well as can be expected during this time. I find it difficult, at times, to stay motivated over such a long period of being in an emergency, and I bet many of you find yourselves feeling this way from time to time as well. I find when I make the effort to connect with people via telephone or zoom outside of my work life that it helps me...
