News

In a year of extraordinary challenges, Waubonsee Community College answered the call to maintain a dynamic community where our students and employees can learn, work, and thrive. We explored the unknown together, and we carved new pathways forward. 

Next month, I will celebrate my 20th anniversary as President of Waubonsee Community College. I began writing a monthly column in July 2010, making this the end of the eleventh year of columns. Over these years it has been a way for me to share with the Waubonsee community and the community at large many of the great and exciting opportunities at the college and to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and employees.

It’s hard to believe that Waubonsee’s Spring Break is just around the corner and that last year at this time we entered entirely unfamiliar ground, a global pandemic. One year later, I am so proud of the incredible resilience that Waubonsee students and employees have demonstrated during such a challenging year.

The end of the year is often a time of reflection for many.

I have worked my entire career in higher education and as a result, I have very specific memories and expectations for certain months in the academic year. August is always the time when we celebrate the start of another academic year. This spirit of celebration is even more important right now as the pandemic continues to create some uncertainties and questions about this upcoming fall semester.

Over the course of a few days in June, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two significant rulings; to sustain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and to provide employment protections for the LGBTQ+ community. These rulings come at a time when our nation and our community are focused on issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice.

As we begin our summer season, we can all agree that so far, 2020 has been an unimaginable year. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everything we do as individuals and as a community over just a few months. Now, in the past couple of weeks, we are experiencing another significant upheaval in response to the video and death of George Floyd.

The month of May is a wonderful time for many college students. Graduates feel a sense of elation as they move on to the next phase of their academic or career journeys and other students enjoy a sense of accomplishment for all they have done in the year. We celebrate with all of those students.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the last few weeks have been many things; sobering, stressful, historic to name a few. We have all been affected in some—or many ways—by the virus or the changes it has forced on us. Because of the ever-changing circumstances all around us, we’ve had to be even more innovative in our thinking. We’ve had challenges and issues that none of us have ever seen before.

The outbreak of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has generated a range of emotions, feelings, and responses. At Waubonsee Community College, our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students, employees, and community members. We are also committed to the continuation of teaching and learning and helping our students reach their educational goals, which includes successful completion of the spring 2020 semester.