Looking Back, and Looking Ahead

By: Jeffrey L. Bernstein

It really doesn't seem possible that today marks our last newsletter of the academic year; as such, this is our final Teaching Blog until August. Like my most recent journeys around the sun, things seem to have gone rather quickly. It has been a hard year for so many of us in many ways. I am thankful to have had plenty of opportunities to smile and celebrate, for which I consider myself most fortunate.

While I have your attention, I'd like to use this week’s blog to plug a few upcoming items at the FDC, two of which are related to closing out the current academic year, and two of which are related to the next one.

First, I hope you can join us at the FDC tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM, for a Graduation Party we are throwing for Liv Overbee and Trinity Perkins. Liv worked for the FDC for her final three semesters as an undergrad, and has worked as our graduate assistant the last two years, while she pursued her master’s degree in experimental psychology. Trinity, who will be graduating with a degree in criminology and criminal justice, has worked at the FDC all four of her years at Eastern. In fact, her first work shift at the FDC was before she even had her first class!

If you've been around the FDC and worked with us in the last four years, you have undoubtedly met and enjoyed spending time with Liv and Trinity. They have contributed so much to the programming we have done and, if I may get personal for a moment, to my own joy in this position. When I moved over to the FDC five years ago, I feared having less contact with students, given my reduced teaching load. I hoped that working with students in the office would fill this anticipated hole in my life. And I am thankful every single day that it has!

Many of you have heard me talk about how important our graduate and undergraduate assistants are to the work we do; I’m not lying! I am tremendously sad to see Liv and Trinity go, but excited for their bright futures and grateful for the opportunity to have spent so much of their college careers with them. Please join us on Tuesday to celebrate these two wonderful people! You can RSVP for the party here.

Second, please join us for our Grade-In on Tuesday, April 21 from 11 AM to 2 PM. Bring whatever grading you have to do, and do it in the company of others. We'll provide snacks, comfy places to work, fun people to chat with during grading breaks, and a sense of camaraderie and fellowship as we do one of the arguably less enjoyable pieces of our job. Please let us know if you can be there so we’ll be sure we have enough food.

Once the semester is done and grades are locked in, I'd like to invite you to two events in early May that are more forward-looking. First on May 4, we are pleased to host Dr. LaNeisha Glass of the Department of Leadership and Counseling, who will be doing a session on Planning for a Balanced Summer, including how to recognize the signs and take action to prevent this from occurring in your life and career, and how to find the balance that so many of us are seeking.

I am particularly excited about the timing of this event. The end of the semester is always a difficult time; if one were going to feel burnout anytime during the year, late April would be a likely time. This presentation, and ensuing discussion, will help us think about how we can rejuvenate and recharge, helping us go into the summer and fall with a healthier outlook on how we will balance our work and non-work lives, and achieve our goals in each.

Even if we think we are doing well managing these different aspects of our lives, we can always do better! I hope you can join us for the chance to learn from our colleagues about what works for them and what we can adopt into our own practices. Please register to attend here.

Finally, we'd like to invite you to join us on May 11 and 12th for the FDCs Writing Sprint, facilitated by Dr. Sarah Walsh from Health Administration. The Writing Sprint invites you to take two days to get your summer writing off to a good start. Whether you are completing a manuscript, starting a new project, or just sitting in peaceful solitude and mapping out future work, we hope you can join us to write in the company of others. Sarah is talented, cajoling us to get our writing done while providing breaks to talk to others and keep energy up. 

The FDC will provide breakfast and lunch both days. Please register so we can get the quantities of food right. We look forward to supporting you as you launch your summer writing. 

Please permit me a moment to look back, and look forward. As I reflect upon this year, my fifth in my position, I remain grateful for the opportunity to serve as Director of the Bruce K. Nelson Faculty Development Center. I am grateful to the students with whom I work, who add tremendous joy to my life, as well as making the FDC look good! I am grateful to my faculty colleagues, who inspire me ask the hard questions and push me every day to keep learning and growing. And I am grateful to many members of the EMU administration, who support the work of the Center and enable me to enact my vision for what our efforts can accomplish.

I've tried my best each day to be worthy of the responsibility given to me. I've not been perfect - far from it - but I have tried to learn from my mistakes and failures and and emerge every week 

with excitement and a desire to make a positive difference here on campus. Thank you all for hanging with me so far!

I am looking forward to a summer with a little bit of a slower pace, a trip to Italy, and most importantly some special family time, including three graduations! But, aside from a bit of time away, I’ll be here, planning for next year, and dreaming of things we can do, together, at the FDC. Please do not hesitate to be in touch if there are things we can do to support your work. I look forward to being as helpful as I can be moving forward.

Have a great summer. You’ve earned it!