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With 2024 and the spring semester barely in full swing, we’ve already proven once again how capable we are at adapting and overcoming. I’m grateful that our switch to remote learning was seamless and successful during the recent winter storms, and I hope the impact, if any, was minimal to our students, faculty and staff. Now that we’ve more than proven ourselves with that theme, let’s switch to a new one.
The motto for this year is evaluate and elevate.
Our institution witnessed many positives in the 2023 year. We have two newly SACSCOC-approved Ph.D. programs. The Office of Career and Professional Development demonstrated success at transitioning students into productive members of the workforce. The University Libraries won the Award for Archival Program Development by State Agency or Institution by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council.
Over 200 Faculty and University leaders spent Friday, Jan. 5 at the Faculty Center’s spring professional development day. The theme for the faculty session was: Motivating Student Success in A New Era of Distraction. Faculty spent the day with Dr. Jose Antonio Bowen, author, faculty member, dean and college president exploring how relationships, resilience and reflection play a role in student success through Engagement, Optimism and Agency: I Care, I Can, and I Matter. Dr. Bowen wrapped the day up with a discussion on how AI is changing working and thinking and the impact on teaching and learning. In the special session for university leaders, Leading Change, Dr. Bowen led an exploration of how leaders can motivate and influence to cultivate a culture that encourages trust, risk-taking, innovation, collaboration and ultimately change, providing leaders with insight and tools to drive positive transformation. Methods on using AI for student success, productivity, and institutional growth were shared in both sessions.
We have so many strengths that need to be advertised to our external stakeholders. Moving forward, let's commit to an evaluation of our strengths – both as a program and on an individual level – and find ways to elevate them so we can highlight how we are soaring above the competition.
Welcome to the spring 2024 semester. Let us soar together.
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