What a wonderful time we had at the Campus Sleep-Out over the weekend! I had a blast with all of you — playing games, roasting s’mores, cheering on our Tiger Men’s Soccer team, and watching Inside Out 2 (which now tops my list of all-time favorite Pixar movies). I’d like to recognize the staff who brought this event to life and helped it run smoothly, particularly those in student life, facilities, campus safety, and events. You thought of everything, and I am so grateful.
The idea for the Sleep-Out came from a desire to build community and create new CC traditions. On the Block Plan, we often function in silos. Students and faculty are focused on one class at a time, and staff spend much of their workweeks in an office within their division. So, we have to be proactive and intentional about making new connections. When I talk about institutional strength, building community is a huge part of that. I want to create a campus culture where people genuinely enjoy spending time together — because that type of environment engenders collaboration and creativity.
In his role as Dean of the College and Chief Operating Officer, Pedro de Araujo helps us eliminate these silos in our daily work. Pedro oversees the college’s operational processes and procedures, developing plans and structures to increase the effectiveness of college operations. The success of this work depends on participation and input from all divisions of the college.
To foster this collaboration, Pedro has facilitated a new operational governance model for CC. This structure will enhance cross-divisional communication and transparency, improve the efficiency of our processes, and provide clarity about how decisions are made. If you are asked to serve on a Sprint, Temporary, or Standing Operational Group, I hope you will lend your perspective to an important issue or opportunity at CC. On the Operational Governance Website, you can see which groups are currently active and what they are charged with addressing. This foundation of shared responsibility, communication, and accountability will help us make meaningful progress toward our institutional goals.
Importantly, a community can only function if all of its members feel safe, heard, and valued. Last academic year, we received feedback from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents on a number of topics — including free expression, conduct, discrimination and harassment, and political activity. We listened — and will continue to listen — to the diverse perspectives held across our campus community. We have published a list of FAQs addressing many of these topics, including updates on our freedom of expression policy and the student conduct working group. While this page is not all-encompassing, the Cabinet will keep it updated with new developments throughout the semester.
I always appreciate feedback because it reflects a deeply engaged and passionate community, one where individuals care enough to voice their concerns and seek improvement. From these conversations, we can learn so much about each other and the values we ultimately share. That is a sign of a strong institution.
Thank you for all that you contribute to the CC community, in and outside of the classroom and the office.
Warmly,
