Many times during the pandemic, I have felt like an astronaut, flying solo in my home office “spaceship,” connected only through email and Zoom portals.
We’ve relied on email to share information long before COVID, but our disrupted year gave me the space to really reflect on the communication that happens in between our Zoom meetings.
Frequent, crystal-clear communication helped me relax, especially as life was spinning out of control.
I realized sending more effective emails could help alleviate anxiety, for myself and others.
When it came to managing the various grant projects orbiting around the college, I started thinking of myself less like an astronaut and more like mission control.
The grants office can help launch these ambitious missions, but project directors are the true pilots. We have to constantly communicate in order to succeed.
If you are working on a grant-adjacent project — as a project director especially — you really can’t over-communicate with us. In fact, that’s the No. 1 job of a director of any kind: Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Keep reading: Stephanie Ogilvie Seagle shares her five personal “rules” for writing more effective emails.
Just added to the *free* professional learning calendar:
Moving Forward with Purpose by Steve Gilliland.
May 20, 10 a.m.
Presented by the Virginia Community Colleges Association (VCCA) Support Staff Commission. “More than ever, people need to rely on cooperative strength, think differently and continue moving forward with purpose. This keynote speech reflects on where we’ve been and the powerful potential that awaits those ready to seek and secure it. Together we are enduring a dramatic chapter in the real-life story of access, empathy, progress and well-being. If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward. Life is about moving on, accepting changes and looking forward to what makes you stronger and more complete.”
In this live, virtual presentation, you will learn:
• How to maintain patience and a positive attitude while teaming with others toward that next horizon.
• How to fuel your passion and enthusiasm for goals that push you beyond challenges.
• How to develop perseverance, that unwavering commitment and willingness to keep moving forward despite all obstacles.
Learn more about the speaker here. Admission is free, but registration is required.
The Future Trends Forum: Discussions about the future of education and technology with writer/futurist Bryan Alexander most Thursdays at 2 p.m.
May 20: How will the Biden administration change higher education? with Jarret Cummings, Senior Advisor, Policy and Government Relations for EDUCAUSE.
More upcoming programs. Video recordings available on YouTube.
Basic Needs Insecurity Among Virginia Community College System Students: A #RealCollege Webinar.
June 3, 3 p.m.
In fall 2020, over 10,000 Virginia Community College System (VCCS) students participated in the Hope Center’s #RealCollege Survey. The survey assessed students’ basic needs security and their well-being, as indicated by employment status, academic engagement, and mental health. It also explored the impacts of the pandemic, which challenged VCCS students, faculty, and staff in new ways. Get a first look at the survey results and hear about the VCCS’s growing work to support students’ basic needs and achieve the state’s college attainment and equity goals. Register here.
Virginia’s Education Equity Summer Institute.
June 15-17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Virginia Department of Education hosts this conference for Virginia educators, school leaders, education policymakers, and more. Breakout sessions and keynotes will include professional development to support Virginia’s recently expanded History and Social Science standards and the implementation of the new elective course in African American History for high school students that will launch this fall. June 15: Teaching Black History: Building Teacher Content Knowledge and Instructional Capacity. June 16: Teaching through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies. June 17: Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Educator Practice at Four Critical Levels.