Meet Kevin, who as a first-year student was assigned to my experimental psychology lab for his work/study. Over the course of the next four years, he learned how to program, how to counterbalance a design, how to write in APA style, how to use a voice key, and most of all, how to be curious. He was the star of my lab’s three-on-three basketball team (pictured above) and loved to swap jokes with my son. He became a high school principal.

Meet José, a doctoral student in engineering who took my graduate methods class which led to me co-directing his dissertation on perceptual factors in design. He is now a tenured faculty member. Meet Claire, a graduate student in applied statistics. We spent hours every weekend biking together, talking about her dissertation and about knitting, another shared passion. She is now a research scientist. Meet Jennifer, who traded favorite books with me, and now works for an academic press. Meet Alexis, who discovered she loved to build virtual environments and is now a key figure in the video game industry. Meet Pat, who loved dogs. Meet Ed, who made balloon animals at birthday parties. Meet Xiao. Meet Shannon. Meet Ashley.

It is true that education transforms lives. Usually this is said of students and how they are affected by their time in college. But students also transform the lives of the faculty and staff they spend time with (hooray to all of you awesome students!). I am sure that every faculty and staff member on UD’s campus has their own such list of students, and I encourage all of us to take a moment to reach out and say thank you to those who have had such transformational impacts on our lives.

Here's the latest from around the Beat:

What does UD mean to you? What about UD holds a special place in your heart? Send us a 10- or 15-second video or audio narration by Monday, Nov. 10. and you could be featured in an upcoming video project produced in coordination with the student-led Egg Creative Agency. (As a bonus, folks who submit an entry will also be invited to a watch party at the President’s House).

I have heard such excitement from so many faculty, staff and students about the upcoming Craft Circle at the President’s house. Please note that we moved this event up a week — it will now be 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11. All are welcome. Bring your craft projects (but no glitter, please!), come and learn how to crochet or knit, or just join for food and fellowship.

Philanthropy Week at UD will be Nov. 15-21, featuring an Egg Quest in which yellow eggs will be hidden outside of campus buildings where philanthropy has had an impact. Find an egg, scan the QR code inside and register for your free mini plush YoUDee!

The University has launched a space optimization study that will combine stakeholder feedback, utilization information, building condition, and other relevant data to identify areas of needs, and to explore how different moves or configurations can help UD make better use of our facilities.

Shout out to the important work being done through our Office of Disability Support Services, which is an invaluable resource available for all students, faculty, and staff. They can help anyone who needs accommodations to support their academic or professional goals and to access the UD environment. I’m grateful to these staff members for their work to ensure we all have a rich and rewarding UD experience.

Yours in UD,