Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is going through the process of hiring a new dean (we will miss you in your retirement, Dean Kathleen Richardson!), and members of Provost Council have had the opportunity to meet each of those candidates. As we meet, we all go around the table and explain what our role in the University is, and how we work with faculty to meet our University mission. At one point in our conversations, Dean of Admissions Anne Kremer told a candidate, “At Drake University, we rely really heavily on faculty.”

I am daily reminded that this is true: that faculty are at the absolute center of all we do and at the center of our ability to be the institution we are. I am so proud to remain listed as a faculty member within Law, Politics and Society—to continue to serve as an advisor to students and to direct an independent study. Honestly, in this new role, I notice how much I miss the classroom (nope, not the grading, sorry—but certainly, I miss engaging students’ work).

So, I want to take just a minute here to say thanks—yes, ‘tis the season—to my faculty colleagues who have shown up for programming out of my office, who have supported each other through this transition back to ‘normal,’ who have met with students and prospective students, who have learned BlackBoard Ultra and juggled technologies, who have adjusted assignments and maintained expectations—thank you, sincerely, for this difficult and excellent work. I know that many of us don’t get to hear Anne, or other members of Provost Council say this out loud, but I know just as certainly that we all express that feeling of gratitude daily.

As we head toward the holidays—one week left before November break starts in earnest—please know that your work is appreciated.

Next week, in OnCampus, I’d love to share a recipe or two for some “different” ways you/we celebrate the upcoming holidays. Please email me (renee.cramer@drake.edu) with an idea or two; maybe we can all share a meal, virtually, as we give thanks for what we have.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost