Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Excellence at Work – January 17, 2020
January 17, 2020
Colleagues,
We are on the eve of a new semester that coincides with a new year of a new decade, one that has inspired plans and predictions with “2020” vision for the future. I invite you to take a moment and review some of the latest musings on the decade ahead for higher ed. Having undergone a comprehensive strategic planning process in 2019 and starting the new decade with an eye on this college’s 75th anniversary milestone, we are already retooling to address many of the anticipated changes for our sector. We do so with the excitement and enthusiasm that comes with welcoming new students, new faculty, and other new employees who are joining our Viking community.
This week I had the pleasure of meeting with some of our new full-time faculty at their orientation program facilitated by Provost Vanessa Morest, Associate Dean Hector Graciano, and Professors Nicole Tschampel, Kamil Hamaoui, and Erich Werner. We are welcoming 20 new faculty members this academic year who are part of a wave of talented individuals who join our continuously inspiring seasoned faculty leaders. Also among our new recruits, we include seven staff members who joined the college this past fall. I offer special thanks to our Human Resources team, the hiring managers, search committee members and all others for their contributions to these recruitment efforts, and ask that you pause and share “kudos” with each other as you observe our excellence at work.
Next week celebrates the joy of welcoming new and returning students as our focus on providing high quality and affordable access to opportunity continues. Thanks for all you’re doing to make sure that students are advised into classes, that all facilities are safe, clean and operating optimally, and that classes are scheduled and ready to start. I will have much more to share on these topics and more when we gather for the annual State of the College during Common Hour on Thursday, February 27 in the Davis Auditorium, Gateway Center.
To close, I leave you with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as we commemorate his life and legacy on Monday: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President