Today marked the official start of the 2025–26 faculty contract year.
We began with new faculty orientation. Ten new colleagues joined us. They bring new ideas, energy, and skills to our community. Tomorrow we hold the faculty assembly. It is a meeting where the entire faculty gathers to prepare for the year ahead.
I have always looked forward to this time. As a faculty member, I felt the excitement of meeting new students and starting fresh courses. As an administrator, the rhythm is different. My work now focuses on setting the stage for others to teach and lead. The anticipation remains.
The campus is shifting from summer quiet to the movement of a new term. Some students are already here. Most will arrive later this week and over the weekend. By Wednesday, August 20, sidewalks will be busy and classrooms full.
In my recent white paper, Rewiring the Academy: Leading with Hope in an Age of Chaos, I wrote about the need for radical hope, trauma-informed leadership, and a focus on the modern learner. That work begins now. The first week is not just a schedule of meetings and move-in dates. It is a chance to build trust, design for connection, and focus on the people who will shape the months ahead.
Here’s to a year of care, purpose, and work that matters.
Image Citation:
OpenAI. (2025). Faculty members walking toward a university building at the start of the academic year [Digital illustration]. DALL·E. https://openai.com/dall-e