Welcome Back

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 18:02:52 -0400

“Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching.” – Satchel Paige

“Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different…just try hard to be you.” — Zendaya

It seems like it was just yesterday. Way back in May of 2021, we were celebrating commencement virtually while ending a school year like no other. It felt like things were finally looking up. Immunity was growing steadily through vaccination and recovery. We were able to enjoy outside, and some places even inside, without the masks that became sources of expression even as they remained tools of protection. Live music, movies in theaters, sitting down inside of a restaurant. We were living the dream. The fall was expected to be even better. And then… Delta and Lambda went from variables to variants, wildfires raged, hurricane winds blew, refugees sought asylum, Black Lives still don’t seem to matter enough, old white men decided that they are better stewards of a woman’s body than she is, and the world seemed to be in just a little bit more disarray than before. All the while, August raced towards us along with its imminent return to a campus many of us hadn’t seen in over a year, if ever. Whether you were ready with arms wide open or waiting with eyes closed and hands out, the time has come. You made it. You are here. So LET’S GO…

“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” – Les Brown

Welcome back! Welcome back to campus, to class, to clubs, to outside of whatever bubble you sought safe harbor in for the last year or more. You may not feel particularly welcome given all the rules and policies, but you are. We are excited to move towards our collective new normal, even if it is with some trepidation. The last 18 months have been a LOT. It seems so much longer and a lot of it has blurred together. We talk about the coming “new normal” but let’s be honest, it is hard to think about our normal being new when your reality feels old and tired and worn out. You’re not alone. I’m not a fan of thinking about how your blues ain’t like mine and as a general rule I don’t accept invitations to pity parties. But I will tell you that this has been hard for us all one way or another. We are all changed, for better or worse or both, as we live through the Rona. As you emerge from your quarantine chrysalis, give yourself grace. Don’t get so bogged down in the fact that your wings are yellow with black polka dots instead of gold like you wanted, or the purple your people insisted was just the right shade, or green like so-and-so’s that you ignore the fact that you have WINGS. Whether you crushed it and finished every task you set out for yourself and then some, or met some goals and missed some others, or couldn’t even get to making a plan, it is all OK. You are OK. Even if OK isn’t great. OK is still in the game, and that means you can still win. So long as we get to moving towards good then better then best, the YOU version. Yes, it will take work, but anything worth having is worth working for and we all have work to do. Start with something, anything and get better at it. If you’re not sure where to start, that is where we come in. There are a plethora of offices and people here to support you and to help you figure out how to start and finish. We are here to help you be ready for whatever comes your way, opportunities or challenges, triumph or disaster.

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” – Nikki Giovanni

"Let go of who you are today to become who you want to be." --Paloma Greer

“You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” – Octavia E. Butler

What are we asking you to do?

1. Start STRONG. The best way to set up a great semester is to start with intention and good practices. Go to office hours once/week for every class. Make a calendar, put EVERYTHING on it and stick to it, even if you have to change it to make it work.

2. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. A particularly intuitive person dropped this jewel on me, but I think it’s really for you. I had a friend who never seemed to study back in college. When I asked how, it was simple, they studied every time they did homework, copied notes, or read in the textbook. What they needed to know was already stored in their brain, so no need to try to cram it in at the last minute.

3. Take care of YOU. The world has reopened, but that doesn’t mean it feels or is safe. As you move, take care of your whole self in real and tangible ways. If you need help, get help. If you need help finding the help, just say something, we are here for you.

4. Take care of Business. You are here to get your degree. Life requires balance for sure but keep the main thing the main thing. You have persevered through pandemic, campus closure, zoom, all of it. Keep that same energy and get this done. The world needs to see the brilliance you have to offer.

One final note. Good leaders change the function or maybe even the culture of an institution. Great leaders change an institution’s nature. Great leaders have a way of evoking the best from those around them and infusing that and the best of themselves into the very fabric of the organization to make the whole much more than the sum of its parts. For the last 35 years, UMBC has had such a leader, mentor, scholar, and champion in Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. I am happy for Dr. and Mrs. Hrabowski as THEY (don’t be confused, it is most definitely a team effort) have earned their ticket on the ride off into the sunset of their retirement. At the same time, I am a bit sad for the rest of us, UMBC will not be the same without that booming voice and big laugh stopping students, faculty, and staff alike on campus. The food he stayed up all night cooking. The energy and inspiration he exuded every time he stopped to genuinely ask a student how they are doing and to offer support in whatever capacity he could. I am sure that the next president will be great, and that UMBC as an institution will continue to thrive and grow in grit and greatness because success is never final. But there will only be one Doc and we are a better campus community because he chose to spend his career with us.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who so powerfully inspires excellence, and that’s exactly what his legacy is — a commitment to inclusive excellence that lives on in UMBC, its students, faculty, staff and alumni.” – Dr. Jay Perman, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu

FOCUS,

FOCUS,

FOCUS…

Now go be great.