Feel the Teal: #TEALthanks after the Storm

I want to take a moment to use this month’s article as a vehicle to share my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the service provided by our CCU Community last month. It was the third week of classes and here we were preparing for the potential impact of Hurricane Irma. Whenever we make decisions regarding severe weather, the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is the top priority. In making these difficult decisions and carrying them out our service is also a priority and I was supremely impressed with the service excellence provided.Thanks to the leadership from Carissa Medieros and our Emergency Management team, we were able to make both service and safety our priorities.

We do our best to communicate with everyone as swiftly and efficiently as possible when announcing decisions related to extreme weather. One way we have evolved and provide continual service during these time is through our social media channels and via CHANT411. While the majority of students went home or took the time without classes to take a break, eight CHANT411 student employees remained active and responsive. I appreciate their responsiveness and accuracy in providing service to our community. A very special #TEALthanks to the following:

CHANT411 and Noah Whitlock, Qua Brown, Bailey Keil, Alley Rivers, Mo Mullikin, Hanah Stoudt, Olivia Bertelsen, Kae Huang and Rebecca Roberts.

Another fantastic example of service excellence I saw were the responses from Brent Reser and the rest of the team in University Communications. It makes me proud to know that every person who commented on our posts received a quick response that was accurate and positive while providing empathy and understanding. Service excellence requires responsiveness and empathy and finding the correct mix of the two is not always easy. Many #TEALthanks to Brent and the team for finding this balance during Hurricane Irma.

Thank you not only to those I’ve recognized in this article, but thank you to everyone else who assisted in the evacuation plans. Ensuring the safety of TEAL nation is only possible because of the hard work and tireless efforts of our amazing employees. Our departments of, Public Safety, Facilities, University Housing and everyone else involved make me proud to be your University President. There is no doubt that even in times of crisis and emergency, we still Feel the Teal®.

Sincerely,

David A. DeCenzo, Ph.D.
President