Dear MUW Faculty and Staff,
Congratulations on a successful start to our semester. I would like to thank each and every one of you for what you are doing for our students. We have managed to give our students more opportunities for face-to-face instruction and activities, and it is wonderful to see them enjoying campus.
We have our first home athletic event on Wednesday with the Owls Volleyball team playing University of Tennessee Southern. https://owlsathletics.com/calendar Make plans to attend the Nancy Knight Gilpin Piano Dedication Concert on Friday, September 17 at 7:30 in Kossen Auditorium. The MUW Galleries in Summer Hall feature contemporary photography as part of The South: Then and Now exhibit in conjunction with the Columbus Arts Council, selections from the University’s Permanent Collection, and the recent ceramics works of Ian Childers.
When you see any of our Health Center staff or our Nursing faculty, be sure to give them a (masked) smile, and thank them for all the testing, advising and contact tracing that they are doing to keep our campus safe. Our campus is a caring community, and there is plenty of TLC being provided across the board.
We had some great Fall Development workshops to start off the year. If you weren’t able to participate, recorded sessions are available at https://www.muw.edu/ctl/resources. I am looking forward to continuing with further development and listening sessions as we put our strategic plan into action. https://www.muw.edu/priorities We will continue to monitor our environment and adapt our actions as the pandemic dictates, but will be focused on building a bright future for this university and for our students.
Thanks to everyone who is taking a leadership role and participating in various committees, taskforces, Faculty Senate and Staff Council. We are stronger for having an actively engaged campus community. We will have a faculty/staff appreciation luncheon on Monday, September 13. This will take place on Bryan Green in a tent that will be put up near the gazebo. We will spread this out from 11:00 – 1:00 so we can provide some space, and will have take-out available for those who would prefer to take their lunch to go.
This summer Staff Council President Ashley Hammack and Vice President Jewel Bishop met with staff from offices across campus, and they have come up with some great ideas to boost morale and show our appreciation for employees. Starting in September, we will hold a monthly celebration for people whose birthdays fall in that month. On Wednesday, September 1, all employees with a September birthday are invited to come to the 1st floor Welty atrium between 3:00 and 4:00 for a treat and a chance to visit together. We will plan on holding these celebrations on the first Wednesday of each month.
If you haven’t already signed up for our Be Wise to Win incentive program, there is still time to enter. The first drawing will take place on Friday, September 3. You can schedule your free COVID-19 vaccine by calling the Campus Health Center at (662) 329-7289. https://www.muw.edu/centers/healthcenter/bewise
Please continue to Be WISE and Mask Up!
Warmly,
Nora R. Miller