January 2021 WACUBO News

President’s Message: Ruth’s Ruminations

Happy New Year! I hope you and your families were able to enjoy a restful break, holiday celebration, and have some fun, despite this continuing pandemic. Here’s to great hopes for the beginnings of a recovery and a return to more in-person opportunities at work and school as the year moves along. I am looking forward to a vaccine, as well as figuring out how differently we will work and thrive in the future.

We are busy with WACUBO activity and hope you are excited about our upcoming professional development opportunities. Registration for our first-ever virtual annual conference will open in a few weeks, and we are trying something new! We have a member rate for colleges and universities that allow for as many people to attend as wish to—that’s right, for $2,000, you can send as many staff members as want to participate. The only thing required is an active membership. We think this will add WACUBO value to more people at an affordable rate, but we also have an individual rate. Business partners will showcase their services and products through a virtual series of events, and we will hold the regular mix of keynote speakers, general, and concurrent sessions, along with some fun and interesting activities. Much of our focus this year is on equity, diversity and inclusion. Watch for more information to come!

We’re halfway through our 4-Part Series Workshop featuring Paul Friga, Howard Tiebel, and WACUBO experts on The Future of Higher Education – Shaping Your Institution and Leaders Through and After the Pandemic. This was well attended and highly valued. I enjoyed partnering with Paul Friga and I want to thank Mike Clune for organizing, along with Rebecca Barber, Lupe Valencia, and Stephanie Johnson for sharing their expertise. Read on for a summary by Mike.

More professional development opportunities are in the planning stages, stay tuned for information and check out the WACUBO Events Calendar.

The Happy Hours will continue through at least June. Join me for our next Virtual Happy Hour on January 19 at 5 PM PT! If you have topics you want to talk about or something you want to share, please email the WACUBO office at [email protected].

Finally, the last academic term was hard on us all, and I suspect will continue to be so. With COVID-19 still with us, enrollments shaky, budget cuts looming, and not seeing people in a face to face way, it’s hard to keep up the positive attitude.

Please take care of yourself, your staff, and your people, and look for ways to stay healthy and safe. Higher education needs you strong and your leadership matters. Know that the WACUBO community is here for you. Just let us know.

Ruth

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