Back to School and Back to Basics

In less than two weeks our campus will once again be buzzing with the excitement of a new fall semester. This is our time to shine! There is an old saying, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” Fortunately for us, this isn’t true in higher education. We are provided a second chance to make a new first impression with the start of each new school year.

As our students make their way to campus for their first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 20, we are faced with a great opportunity. Each new academic school year provides us the chance to make a strong impression. Every employee can and does make a difference to our students through the service and education they provide. We know this, because at the foundation of our service is an ethos of care and effort to ensure student success. We call this our attitude of service.

This attitude of service must be lived out in our basic interactions and experiences with students. Through our everyday actions, let’s show our students that we are focused on their success. The students may be back to school, but our service should also go back -- back to the basics. Our basic service standards include responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy and professional tangibles. Here are a few examples:

- Timely responses to email

- Offering directions and, when appropriate, walking individuals to their destination

- Appropriate email signatures that include your basic contact information

- The five-foot, 10-foot rule of interactions

- Out of office messages that indicate when you’ll be gone and who can be contacted in your absence

I encourage you to take a moment before the first Monday of classes to reflect on your basic service actions and how they can best ensure student success.

Remember, a moment of truth occurs every time we have an opportunity to make a positive or negative impression about ourselves or the University to another individual. My challenge is to provide as many positive moments of truth as possible this fall and this next academic year.

Sincerely,

David A. Decenzo, Ph.D.
President