January 7, 2011
Posted by gavazzi.1 in Dean's message
Created on January 7, 2011 at 12:16pm
And tagged with: Ohio State Mansfield
NOTE: This is the first in a series of brief notes written for those faculty, staff, students, and community partners of The Ohio State University at Mansfield who might be interested in some observations made by the Dean and Director of this campus.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." (Lao Tzu)
Hello everyone, and thank you for the exceptionally warm welcome I have received here on the OSU Mansfield campus. As I write this brief note, I have been on the job for one full week now, and I can honestly say that each passing day has left me more and more impressed with our campus and the people who help to make it come to life. This past week, in addition to literally figuring out where my desk was located (and everyone else's desk, for that matter), I spent a significant portion of my time as a participant in meetings with different groups of people who are responsible for teaching and keeping things running smoothly on this campus (speaking of which, "go to meeting" isn't just a software program... It's the very job description of being the dean and director!).
If I had to name two words that I heard more often than any other this week, hands down they would be "transparency" and "dialogue." Clearly, great strides already have been made to promote greater understanding through discussions amongst members of this campus. It is my observation, however, that there seems to be a rather strong desire to build upon this foundation, to move this campus and its people toward ever greater clarity and communication about our core values, our common goals, and our individual aspirations.
In the weeks and months ahead, no doubt I will be responding to a great number of questions about what I am going to do for this campus as Dean and Director, including what I will do to increase transparency and promote dialogue. These are fair and expected questions to answer, and I expect that your inquiries about my plans and actions will stretch far beyond the confines of issues I have raised here. At the same time, however, please know that the only way – let me repeat here, the only way – that I will be even remotely successful in any such endeavor is if I have a very large number of people who are willing to be my partners in this quest to grow and further develop this great campus.
Therefore, know that I look forward to many further meetings and other forms of get-togethers with all of you, and not only because I am prepared to share with you some answers to your questions about what I am going to do. I also am excited to talk with you so that I may hear about your own ideas, about what each and every one of you can do in partnership with me as we journey on this path toward greater distinction and success.
I will be seeing you soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the weekend with family and friends!
Steve Gavazzi