Connecting the DOTS

January 2021

During the January 13 Division Meeting, I asked our staff to describe their year of 2020 using 2-3 words. Responses included overwhelming, hectic, exhausting, challenges, along with adaptable, hopeful, growth, and enlightening. I then shared mine: stressful, grateful, and gainful. 

In a year of pandemic, with the restructure and leadership change, between expectations and reality, we went through some growing pain together. We struggled with the work-life balance. Endless Zoom meetings and reduced human interactions also added to the stress level. That being said, I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to lead with our wonderful team. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication, we are moving forward with our mission as a team of professionals. 

Despite all the challenges, 2020 turned out to be a year full of gain. As a result of collaborative efforts, Early College’s fall enrollment was up by 2%, the new ITCS department revamped the online eResource Center and provided various training opportunities for faculty, our librarians developed 33 subject guides and redesigned the library websites, Office of Accessibility and Inclusion transitioned to a new service model to better serve our students, and Perkins Grant responded quickly to help bridge the digital divide during the pandemic...There are many wonderful stories we will be covering in Innovation Connections, but most importantly, we see the value of collaboration and innovation as we start to connect the dots.

We are exploring how the individual units under the new division can work together to achieve larger goals, and we are working with various departments/groups to create a support network that is interdependent and sustainable. The concept map below visualizes some of the internal and external interactions. In the new year, we will continue to grow the network and bring high-standard services to the college community.