I find that the return from Thanksgiving to finish the semester always requires an abrupt transition. The rest and relaxation from a time away are immediately replaced by a sense of speed as we face studying for finals and grading, the swirl of year-end celebrations, the urgency to complete projects, and shorter and colder days. And now add in this week’s unexpected events. It is a lot.

My coping strategy in such chaotic times is to take a moment for myself. Sometimes that means going for a quiet solo run at the creek. Sometimes that means closing my eyes at my desk and meditating (which can too easily turn into catnapping). Sometimes that means going to talk to a friend or colleague. Sometimes that means sitting on a bench on campus. Sometimes that means baking. Sometime that means hugging my dog.

Whatever it is for you, I hope that you can find that small opportunity for peace and then indulge in it as a gift to yourself as we end the year.

Here's the latest from around the Beat:

I am happy to share that the Staff Council has been constituted and will have its first meeting before the end of the semester. I thank all of you for your nominations and interest. All of you will be involved, whether on the council or as part of a focus group. You can see the council roster and read about our work on the Staff Council page. Our first task will be reading and discussing The Caring University by Kevin McClure.

I am grateful to Vice President José-Luis Riera and Professor and Chair John Ernest for all of their time and effort convening townhalls, focus groups, and dialogue throughout our community as part of the Campus Culture and Engagement Initiative. They will now take time to synthesize all they heard, distilling the ideas into two documents: a State of the UD Community Report, summarizing what they have learned this semester from UD students, faculty and staff, and a draft of the Our UD, One UD Community Framework. We look forward to sharing these drafts and engaging in further conversation in the spring semester.  More information is available at the Campus Culture and Engagement page, which is regularly updated.

I hope you will be able to attend the General Faculty meeting 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Gore Recital Hall, with a reception to follow. The meeting also will be livestreamed (UD login required). All members of the UD community are welcome.

Interim Athletic Director Jordan Skolnick will interview for the permanent role as UD’s next Athletic Director on Dec. 11. If you are available and interested, please join his vision talk, which will be held on Zoom and will include an opportunity for questions/answers from the community. More information is available on the Athletic Director search page.

There will be two more Prez Runs for 2025 on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. We’ll meet as usual at 7 a.m. at Mentors’ Circle. All paces are welcome, and you can join any Thursday. Check out these photos of previous runs this semester. We will resume the Prez Runs after the holiday break on Jan. 8.

Finally, remember that the best way to stay safe and connected is through UD’s LiveSafe app which allows you to connect to campus police, stay up to date on important safety notifications, and more. We also encourage everyone to sign up for the University’s notification system.

Yours in UD,