Dear students, colleagues and friends,
As the son of a historian, I often find it reassuring in turbulent times to look to the past
to see how
others have navigated challenging circumstances. I find this quote from automaker and
entrepreneur Henry
Ford particularly apropos: “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the
airplane
takes off against the wind, not with it.”
In the past month, it has often felt as though the wind was blowing against us all with
storm-worthy
force. Yet Central Michigan University continues to move forward.
Daily, we carry out our mission and adhere to our core values. We are strong and resilient.
As a
community, we opt to bend instead of break, and we continue to adapt to overcome adversity.
In short, we
choose to take off against the wind.
One of the chief complaints often leveled against higher education is that we are slow to
change. I
would argue that in the past few weeks, higher education has adapted more quickly — and more
successfully — than nearly any other industry. I am immensely proud of how our CMU community
has
responded.
Faculty who never imagined teaching online have reimagined classes in mere days, learning new
tools and
technologies quickly so they can continue to offer incredible learning opportunities for our
students.
Staff who depended on weekly or daily face-to-face meetings have shifted quickly to video
conferences
and phone calls to ensure their work continues. They’ve developed creative ways to host
virtual
meetings, events and activities for students, keeping them engaged with our university
community across
the miles.
And our students, who are among the most active and social people I have ever encountered,
are finding
dozens of unique ways to stay connected with their instructors and with one another. I am
inspired by
the way they continue to pursue their passions from their residence hall rooms, apartments
and homes
around the country.
These adjustments have not been easy. We’ve all experienced frustrations and hiccups along
the way, and
there have been more than a few long days and sleepless nights for everyone.
Yet we persevere. We move forward. It has been stressful — and successful. It is often said
that hard
times don’t build character, they reveal it. We can all be proud of what this
challenge
has revealed about our university community.
Lessons learned
We have always been a community of lifelong learners, and these past few weeks have proven to
be a very
effective learning lab for many of us — often in surprising ways. I think back to my State
of the
University address in November: I called for big, bold ideas; innovative and creative
thinking; and
options to serve students in new ways. What I didn’t know then was that we’d be implementing
quite so
many changes quite so quickly.
Yet, for all the discomforts this situation has caused, I hope it also gives you an
opportunity to
reflect on how we operate. This crisis has been an unasked-for experiment for CMU, allowing
us to
explore new ways of learning, teaching, living and working. We now have proof that we are
capable
of far more than we previously knew.
I invite all of you to join me in both contemplating what we’ve learned and considering how
we apply
these lessons as we move forward. Let’s look at what this situation has revealed about our
operations
and the structures we have in place and think about how we could build upon them to
strengthen CMU. Ask:
What actions have we taken and what elements have we added, that we could — and should —
include in the
future? What have we learned about ourselves, about our strengths and weaknesses, that we
can leverage
or address as we continue to serve our current students and expand into new areas?
I invite you to share your answers with me. You can send them as an email to president@cmich.edu or by submitting them
through this
online
feedback form. I look forward to reviewing your ideas and sharing them with our
strategic
envisioning process working groups.
Let’s emerge from the crisis stronger than ever before.
Uniting across distance
In the weeks ahead, as we navigate uncertainty together, our networks of support will be more
important
than ever.
It can be hard to feel close to others when we’re maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet,
working in
shifts to minimize contact, or completing assignments and work from home to stay healthy. It
is in our
human nature to be social, and you may feel the pains of isolation after several weeks of
separation
from classmates, colleagues and friends. You likely already are feeling them.
This is why it’s so important for CMU Chippewas to continue to Take Care of one
another.
We must look for ways to foster a sense of community and remain socially close even as we
are physically
distant.
Consider how you can creatively reach out to connect with others. Our Counseling Center has
some
outstanding suggestions in a recent
video shared
online, and I’ve received some excellent tips from students, faculty and staff in
the past week.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- The Office
of Student Activities and Involvement hosts events for students at 2 p.m. every
weekday,
such as a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game and discussion groups.
- The Office of LGBTQ Services' “pen pal”
program
connects students and uses a daily #CMUCaresinCommunity hashtag on social media.
- Alysa Lucas, from the Department of Communication, uses tools like the Marco Polo app to
record
short video messages for friends and has been sending letters and cards by mail.
- Alex Kappus, in the Office of Student Success, holds regular video conference calls with
his
team to check in and continue their important work.
- Kelly Murphy, from the Department of Philosophy and Religion, suggests scheduling video
chats
with friends and family so you can look forward to seeing familiar faces.
- Jonathan Glenn, from the Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, has been recording
inspirational videos to share with students on Twitter.
- Stephanie Hodges, from the Office of Global Engagement, uses Microsoft Teams to stay
connected
through quick chats and meetings.
And if you need someone to talk to, please remember that our Counseling
Center and Employee
Assistance Program are here for you. Don’t wait to ask for help!
You also can find many more support services and resources on our Coronavirus Information
Center
website.
We’re about a month away from the end of the semester, and I urge everyone to finish strong.
By now,
hopefully you’ve developed some routines and processes that help you manage this new normal.
Use all
the tools available to you to make this a GREAT semester.
Be well, take care and, always, Fire Up Chips!
Bob Davies