April 22 is Earth Day, and this year’s theme is “Together, We Can Restore Our Earth.” The first Earth Day was held in 1970, and more than 50 years later, concerns about our impact on the environment and our responsibilities to future generations are even more urgent. Leading up to Earth Day, last month, NOVA … Continued
In my office hour zooms last week, I gave an overview of the new Virginia Community College System strategic plan: Opportunity 2027. VCCS has a website with links to the full plan, a presentation outlining the plan and more information about and videos from the Strategic Plan Task Force members. I was honored to co-chair … Continued
April is National Poetry Month, and NOVA Professor Nicole Tong, who serves as Fairfax County Poet Laureate, has been highlighting “living poets” via her Twitter account @poetryliveshere—encouraging all of us to recognize the remarkable poets whose work captures the current moments and lives around us. (By the way, one such poet is NOVA alum and … Continued
Several years ago, under previous leadership, NOVA initiated salary equity studies for our Classified Staff and Professional and Administrative Faculty, but as college leadership transitioned, the studies were not completed and, thus, were not funded. Understandably, this has been a topic of concern for many of you. Moving these studies off the shelf and identifying … Continued
Dear NOVA Community, My commitment to open and transparent communications has been consistent throughout the pandemic. In that spirit, today I share our Return to NOVA Timeline for Full-Time Employees. It sets forth a gradual, phased return to our campuses and facilities that continues our practice of prioritizing the health and safety of our college … Continued
Like you, I was horrified by yesterday’s murders of eight individuals, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta. Sadly, research from the coalition Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate shows a clear rise in cases of violence and discrimination against Asian American groups during the pandemic. The crisis has attracted the attention of the … Continued
NOVA’s DEI Strategic Plan will be grounded in a framework of Inclusive Excellence. A hallmark of this framework is providing equitable opportunities for professional growth and development to our valued employees so that, whenever and wherever possible, they can continue to grow and progress in their careers at NOVA. In Dr. Carter’s Diversity, Equity and … Continued
I know that there is great interest as we plan a return to our campuses and offices in the lead up to fall 2021. Throughout NOVA’s response to the pandemic, our goal has been to be inclusive and transparent at every step of the way, and your input and questions have been encouraged, invited and … Continued
On Thursday, Feb. 25, conferees from the Virginia House and Senate reached an agreement on the 2020-2022 biennium budget, and this weekend, that agreement was passed by both. A veto session will be held April 7 with Governor Northam’s signature to follow thereafter. What has emerged from the process thus far is a very good … Continued
The annual calendar of “days of” includes several related to kindness: Random Acts of Kindness Day was last week, World Kindness Day is in November and there are as many different Days of Caring as there are communities. Today, I write to encourage you to make each day a NOVA Day of Kindness, and I … Continued
