Spring has sprung. Yellow-headed blackbirds arrived on April 15. My Merlin Bird ID app tells me they arrived at exactly the same time last year! That is good. We need this spring, and we need what follows, summer break.
It will certainly come as no surprise that these days I spend a lot of time and energy managing hard situations and fear, and, interestingly, stories have been arriving in my inbox about students. Nice stories. The way students bring purpose, motivate our work, and delight us. A few examples: A first-year veterinary student worked with an instructor to collect tissues from a horse; it was “the most exciting thing they had done in vet school so far.” Of course, there will be many more exciting things. But working side-by-side, one-on-one, in these chance opportunities nourishes students and educators. Our new undergraduate public health students worked with dedicated faculty and staff to create unique public health service announcements and infomercials that translate the work we do. And a group of veterinary students worked with a team of staff to develop a picture-perfect student success center. Concrete examples that highlight pride of purpose, pride of place, and pride in service.
In times of uncertainty and change, it seems natural to turn to our core purpose. And this often means championing students. Faculty tell me they will “continue to be passionate and dedicated educators because that is what our students deserve.” And faculty and staff are working hard to find funding for our National Institutes of Health-funded MARC and MIRA undergraduate scholar programs that have lost federal funding. These leaders write, “we mourn for the loss of our ability to support our future leaders in research: our undergraduate students. We have been lucky to work with some of the brightest minds.” Real people, real impact.
Importantly, our students give back their energy, appreciation, and time to those who support them. Students nominated our own Maurice Cottman (pictured left) for a Chancellor’s Leadership Award. He mentors and develops students who serve as college ambassadors for our engagement activities. In their nomination they wrote, “Maurice doesn’t lead in a silo – students benefit from his guidance and vision for the college as they gain experience that will enable them to be better future leaders.” It was an awesome event that also recognized some of our great undergraduate student leaders, including biochemistry major Ajanna Dizon and neuroscience major Bodi Abdelrazek (pictured right with WSU Pullman Chancellor Dave Cillay).
As we move into graduation, it seems only fitting that our time, hearts and thoughts move to the students that drive us. Go Cougs!