The Monday Message: Thank You

March 16, 2020 / Uncategorized

Dear NOVA Community,

You’ve heard too much from me for all the wrong reasons over the past week, and you are likely to hear more from me as this situation continues to evolve. So, I want to keep today’s message direct and straightforward.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for working through your own stress and uncertainty; thank you for caring so much about our students and your colleagues; thank you for persevering through change after change; just, thank you.

As we move into this new not-normal, I want us to stay connected and keep communication open. You deserve transparency at all times—but now this is especially important.

  • You’ll be seeing information soon about weekly Zoom campus open office hours that I’ll be holding: bring your ideas, questions, and concerns.
  • As developments warrant, you’ll get direct messages from me. At any time, you can reach out directly to me. I ask that you use the PresidentsOffice@nvcc.edu email so that your message is easily and quickly seen. So much flows into my akress email that your email might get lost. Please know that I am the one responding to the Pres Office emails, so you’ll be hearing from me.
  • In some cases, like Annandale Campus last week, we will take action out of an abundance of caution. I understand that such actions might be misinterpreted (and they were), but honestly, we believe that is a risk worth taking. The health and well-being of our NOVA community are paramount. And this leads to a request…
  • This is a time of high anxiety based on what is actually happening; it’s impacting all of us. So, I would request that you help NOVA act from facts, not fear by refraining from rumor. When you have questions, don’t speculate, just ask: ask me, our Office of Emergency Management, your Provost or Vice President. We will answer.

Again, thank you! I am so grateful to each of you for all that you’re doing: every act of kindness to your students and coworkers, every moment you spend helping our students move forward, every second you focus on NOVA. You are doing extraordinarily positive work at an extraordinarily difficult time, and I could not be prouder to work alongside you.

Sincerely,

Anne