[VPAAEtal] Thank You!

[Academic Affairs]

Dear A&M-Commerce faculty and staff;

Since we are in the season for giving thanks, please allow me to extend my thanks to all of you for your efforts and dedication to our students in what has been an unprecedented Fall 2020 semester. I know this semester has been, and is still, emotionally exhausting. Wearing masks and/or face shields, physical distancing, enduring Zoom meetings, etc., all the while missing many of the functions and events that make university life exciting, have made this term a grind for sure. Many of you have students face-to-face and online in a myriad of hybrid formats in the effort to meet students' needs, during which you are also sustaining your scholarly work and professional service, and simultaneously serving as caregivers, online K-12 schoolteachers, counselors, etc. Moreover, many of our students have had to take on additional responsibilities given the pandemic economic challenges and many have struggled to focus on their studies to the degree that we would like because of the extraordinary circumstances. I also know that many of you are struggling to find the right balance between showing understanding and maintaining accountability as we move into the last weeks of the term. I am too, as I have 120 students this semester, which I have had greater difficulty than normal in motivating. So no mandates from me. I trust you to find the appropriate sense of balance between empathy, flexibility, and rigor. Whether you are staff, professional librarians, faculty, administrators, or some combination thereof, I am truly thankful for each of you and all you do for our students. You accomplish your work without great fanfare and you may think that many of your successes go unnoticed. Yet, we do see your triumphs, as your efforts in delivering a transformative experience to our students is evident. You are making a difference, even on those bleak days when you may question that. As we count our blessings this week, and hopefully every week, let us not take for granted the exceptional group of people - students, faculty, and staff - we have assembled at our university. Our people, our students, and the work that we do together is worth celebrating. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving break. Stay safe and stay well. Best regards, John

Dr. John Humphreys
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Texas A&M University - Commerce
(903) 886-5018
john.humphreys at tamuc.edu

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