Retreat

Time for our first of the year retreat, the one where we all head for the Meridian Center and get our heads out of the daily routines to see if we are still heading in the right direction. An important activity. This year we have new people to bring on board, people who have not been through the opening and settling of a new building and a new work flow. People who have only been with us for part of a year and will not know all of the upcoming impacts that are a normal part of academia.

Where once we had a fairly well oiled team, one where we knew what to expect and who fit where, we now are in the process of reconfiguration and redefining our strengths and needs. We plan to revisit our Mission and Vision statements and see how we are fulfilling them, where we need to do better, where we need to change strategies. For me, this is an invigorating process. It reminds me of the eagle who beats his beak against the stone to keep it sharp and functional so that it can still eat. For others, this is sheer torture filled with pain and distress.

Even though there is not uniform buy-in, even though some grit their teeth and tolerate the silliness of team building activities, people come away with a better understanding of why we do what we do, and why we keep working at making it better. I hear the reinvestment in the conversations. I hear the "so that's why" surprise in their vocal inflection.

Those involved in planning the retreat are never sure we are hitting the mark until all is said and done. Grace of God, today as in the past, we feel that important conversations took place and good ideas were generated. We are closer, more tightly knit as a family despite our individual foibles and follies. And, I hope, people realize that here in this workplace, we do care - about each other, about our students, about our work, about our world.