As we head into the final week of classes, those of us in the Office of the Deputy Provost want to say thanks to our faculty and our staff who are teaching. This semester, as we’ve crept toward what might be a ‘return’ to something-like-it-used-to-be, has been—by all accounts I’ve heard—a difficult joy. Faculty have worked hard to maintain a challenging and supportive learning environment, to meet our students’ academic needs while tending to their—and our—needs for well-being and community.  Our students achieved so much this year, across all of our disciplines, and it is because of the tremendous effort and care from our faculty.

So, as you prepare to write finals, grade papers and presentations, watch performances and assess your students’ work, please know how much you are appreciated.

One of the professional and personal mantras I engage is the phrase, “always begin again,” which I take to mean: always be willing to return with an attitude of beginning.  As I plan development opportunities for next academic year, I do so having learned from you this year—what engages, what falls flat, what is too big an ask, and what is just right.  I know that our faculty (9- and 12- month) take that learning with you as you plan your fall courses—and I’ll feel the solidarity as we plan, this summer, together, to return yet again in the fall with an Aug. 18 Learning Symposium on the theme of Return.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost