Moving Forward

I’m sure we all know the analogy about a duck in the water--how everything looks placid on the surface, but beneath the water, those feet are churning like crazy. I’m reminded of that image every time I step onto campus. Though in a normal year I might long for some tranquility, I’m ready now for noise! I miss the students. I miss seeing them spread out all over the green grass of the quad, studying, chatting, lunching, and napping. I miss watching them troll for parking spaces outside my building. I miss the noise in the Pond dining room. And I miss my colleagues. I miss the hundred small face-to-face interactions that take place every day and reinforce who we are as a team. The hallways are just too empty right now. It’s too quiet around here!

But that’s just what’s happening on the surface. Beneath that surface, we’re already paddling like mad to keep students moving toward their degrees and dreams, to make sure they have the greatest possible college experience, and to ensure that everything we do--this summer, this fall, this academic year--is not just what we “have” to do because of COVID, but what we can do because we have a great team and a passion for student success!

Let me tell you about some of the “paddling” that’s going on and why we should be excited about it. 

I just walked through the Pond Student Union ballroom and saw a team of our colleagues putting together the mailings that will go to our most recent Bengal graduates. They will receive a letter from President Satterlee, a diploma cover, a program with their name listed, and a Bengal Alumni sticker. While our most recent alumni were not able to participate in a ceremony as we had all hoped they would, they have accomplished what they set out to do: persist, learn, and earn a degree from Idaho State University.   

Recently, Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL, an enrollment management consulting firm) invited our own Staci Phelan to their web series, RNL@Home. Staci was asked to share what EM has been doing to help students during the COVID crisis. The full episode can be viewed here, but let me give you a summary. Instead of waiting for students to contact us, EM has been personally reaching out to every admitted student to offer next-step assistance, extended acceptance deadlines, and offered virtual campus tours and virtual housing tours. They’ve also been hosting Zoom meetings nights and weekends for Q&As with admitted students.

SU TRIO professionals have been advocating for educational access at all levels, resulting in a Senate bill to support internet connectivity and technology for limited-income families. The bill, suggested by the national TRIO organization, the Council for Opportunity in Education, was recently featured in this Politico article, where you can read more about these important events. Sari Byerly, who directs our ISU TRIO Access & Opportunity programs, is the current Board Chair-Elect for this organization. 

And there's more! I encourage you to keep reading and share the excitement about howour divisin is adapting to ensure our students have a wonderful, sage, and healthy Bengal experience in the fall.

Sincerely, 

Lyn