Summertime
June 25, 2020 |
One of the glories of university life is the academic calendar. There are rhythms to our year and our careers, measured by times of intense activity interspersed with times of reflection.And as with so many other things, COVID-19 has undermined this cherished pattern.
The academic year ended, but we continued.
Critical matters of shared governance; continued recruitment of next year's new students; new technologies and new pedagogical strategies to learn; plans to develop, so that we might teach and work effectively under extraordinary circumstances in the weeks ahead: there is far too much to do, and we--as a community--are irrepressibly responsible people.
And yet. We are also embodied creatures. We fatigue. And we will need all our energy to face what will or may face us in August and beyond, to live up to our mission and our purposes, to be our best selves.
So in this first CAS Bulletin of the summertime, I invite you to find time in the days ahead to slow down, to check out, to step away, and to be quiet. That will not be easy for many of us. Nevertheless, it is essential.
For that reason, our weekly Q&As and this Bulletin will go silent for a time. Whatever may happen before we resume, it will have to wait. With all my heart, I invite you to use this silence to find your own time and place of rest, reflection, and rejuvenation.
More will come, soon enough.
