In the time of Covid i’m learning that some things happen better on line than in person. One of these is the annual academic fair. Traditionally departments gather at tables in the atrium of Bullock Science Center, and as part of orientation, first year students descend all at once into the open space for an hour and a half. It’s really loud, energized and exciting. The noise and focused repetition of my energy and introductions is absolutely exhausting for me, and I usually go home and take a nap. But yesterday on Zoom, we had a quiet lovely conversation with 17 students (the numbers waxed and waned–17 was the most at one time, but there were 12 steadfast students who stayed and hung out) who were very clearly interested in the department’s workings. They got to know each other as well as the profs, and I felt a cohesion in the cohort that I don’t typically feel until junior year. I really liked it, and didn’t need a nap after!

Thank you to Jennifer Cannady, assistant Dean of the College and Director of Academic Advising and Student Success, and her AMAZING team, who are always amazing behind the scenes, setting things up and making things run seemlessly, as if there were magic involved.