Hello, Chemeketa Faculty!
Happy Friday before Spring Break to you! It seemed like this might never actually arrive, but it finally did. These last few months have really been challenging (the last two years, actually…), and I just wanted to take a quick minute and thank you all for hanging in there and continuing to do what we do … providing essential access to high quality higher education to members of our community.
I was in a planning meeting yesterday and was able to work with a few of our students. They were so bright, thoughtful and talented, and grateful for the opportunities they have available to them at Chemeketa. It was a nice and timely reminder for me of why we are so committed to this mission.
So, I hope you have something relaxing and fun planned for the next week. Something to recharge the batteries and feel ready for the spring.
Finally, if you are looking for a quick but meaningful read over the break, I bumped into this really nice treatment of constructive approaches for managing tough conversations in the classroom in Inside Higher Ed earlier this week. It’s the kind of “toolbox” article that would have been a life raft for me when I was new to the classroom, but also very much appreciate as a reminder now. We live in a pretty conflict-intensive universe at the moment, and I think it’s always nice to have constructive resources handy for navigating challenging territory.
Thanks again, and my best to each of you. I’m optimistic that we are finally going to be able to come together and connect in person in the spring!
Mike
Michael Vargo, Ph.D.
Vice President of Academic Affairs