Feel the Teal: Sharing your Teal Gratitude

November is a month that reminds us to be grateful, and gratitude is a value that we as a Coastal Carolina community must continue to live every day. I try to share my appreciation and thankfulness for our hardworking faculty, staff and students whenever I have the opportunity to do so. However, we know that one person alone does not change the culture of our University. Rather, it is all of us living the value of gratitude that creates a culture of appreciation.

Our Feel the Teal® initiative has made great strides in impacting the culture of our University. Faculty and staff work hard to provide service excellence and ensure student success across the board. However, we are aware that our work to create a community culture of service excellence is not yet complete.

Recognizing that our work isn’t done and that we must live out our values of thankfulness, I have a charge for us as members of Teal Nation. This month, I want us to do more than say thank you. Find your own unique way to show others that you appreciate and respect them.

Here are just a few ideas for how you can share your teal gratitude:

- Take time to write a handwritten thank-you note to a colleague or student worker who has made your job easier.
- Challenge yourself to overcome a negative attitude and see the best in others when your day is going poorly.
- Take a colleague out for lunch or coffee just to say thank you.
- Create positive moments of truth so others Feel the Teal®.

Since showing appreciation for others improves morale and culture, I have specifically charged Nick DeStefano, service excellence coordinator, with creating a universitywide recognition program that will be shared with our community in January 2017. In addition to showing gratitude this month, I hope you will participate in the program as a way to share your appreciation for others.

Coastal Carolina University provides us many reasons to be grateful; let’s share those reasons this November, and every day moving forward.

Gratefully,
David A. DeCenzo, Ph.D.
President