Margaret Tennessen, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor
Over the past few weeks, many of my thoughts have seemed to revolve around two things. The first is uncertainty. In recent months, it feels like we’ve seen more than the usual amount of uncertainty within FP&M, at the university, and across the nation.
Some of the changes that brought about this uncertainty are normal in any large organization. People come and go, but the organization is bigger than any one person alone.
While some of these departures have left key positions vacant, FP&M has a solid interim plan and we look forward to filling these vacancies with talented people. And let’s not forget that for every person that’s left FP&M in recent months, many more have remained to continue the important work of operating and maintaining the university’s physical infrastructure.
And we’ve more than just continued; we’ve risen to new challenges—and successfully met them. Often we do this on tight deadlines and with little advance warning. Just last month, staff from across FP&M pulled together to support the hosting of ESPN College Game Day on Bascom Hill.
In the face of such uncertainty, I would like to emphasize that FP&M remains committed to fostering an environment where everyone can come to work and give the best of themselves. This is one of the core tenets of our Engagement, Inclusion, and Diversity (EID) initiative and is something I get to witness whenever I hear how an FP&M employee has made someone’s day by helping to solve a problem, responding to an after-hours call, or otherwise delivering top-notch customer service.
It’s this sentiment that brings me to the second thing I’ve been thinking about lately, which is gratitude. We know that our work, no matter how important, often goes unrecognized and is sometimes taken for granted. I’m thankful for and deeply appreciative of the important work that we do together on a daily basis.
And so, in this season of thanksgiving, I would like to thank all of you for helping to make this
campus a better place by providing excellence in facilities and services.