Dear Faculty in the Institute of Human Studies (formerly Departments of English, Anthropology, History, etc),

After years of fundraising, sending out for bids, starting and stopping construction, changing our minds, sending plans back to architects, having the state order a work stoppage to assess the environmental impact on the campus wetlands, conducting intensive asbestos abatement, rebuilding after the two fires, counter-suing the plumbing subcontractor, and locating several hundred misplaced receipts, we finally can announce that the new  Institute of Human Studies Sustainable Educational Systems Complex is operational. Faculty will move in next week!

Please have your offices packed up and emptied by Sunday.

Best, Dean of Facilities, Dr. Guy Quetel

P.S. Remember to renew your elevator and bathroom passes by the end of next week.

Dear President Cotton,

First, I wanted to thank you and the Vice President of Alumni Offices for running a story in the Willard College Lives and Lives! Alumni Magazine about my thirty one  years at the College as a member of the “FlexFax” team. (What a great improvement over “adjunct!”)  You can imagine my surprise in learning that I am the longest surviving FlexFax at the college. With the constant travel to my other places of employment, biannual office moves, the frequent retooling (the summer that I had to learn Chinese and GIS and prepare Introduction to Genetics is a blur), the annual and costly trips to conferences to interview for permanent positions, frequent changes of residence, a failed custody battle, plus the two hour commute home at the end of each day, I lost track of the years!

Willard College has changed since I first arrived. In the early days, it was tricky to figure out which buildings  still housed patients.  And so I’m all the more grateful for the renovated office facilities that came on line since then. All the more reason, then, that I share your concerns about the recent fires. I want you to know that I speak on behalf of all of the FlexFax when I say that we hope the perpetrator of these crimes is quickly apprehended.

Sincerely,

Hammond Phillip Phillips, PhD

Dear Prospective Students, Are you interested in spending a week at a real live college? Does dining in one of the campus’ 16 specialty eateries, cafés, and juice bars sound like fun? You have probably never slept in a dormitory like the Willard Home Suites. While on campus, you can visit the Willard IMAX Instructional Auditorium where you can watch a 3-D around-sound lesson on college personal financies! Or spend an afternoon with the Willard College Military College Cadets and see what it feels like to fire live rounds with an M-16.

Modeled on one of the nation’s educational trend setters, College for a Weekend comes with a reasonable price tag of $500.00. Should you be accepted to Willard College and decide to enroll, 30% of the deposit will be deducted from the weekend fee.

Hope to see you soon, Pilcher Delacorte, Vice Provost for Admissions

Dear Campus Community,

Real estate can be a crucial part of any college’s long term financial plan. And while we are slowly modifying the bricks and mortar dimensions of the learning environment, we cannot be blind to the need to expand our physical presence. Talk about a dilemma!

I’m excited, therefore, to announce that Willard College will be bidding on a piece of strategically located real estate in upstate New York. The Harriet Tubman Residential Center was a premier youth detention center from its founding in 1993 until its recent repurposing as a revenue generator for the Empire State. Located in the thriving city of Auburn, we anticipate that Willard College-Tubman Campus will help to build our brand and enhance our diversity initiative.

Tubman Campus will be designed to facilitate a new blended learning model, where students can take on-line courses being produced at both the Willard College facility and at off-site locations. WCTC offers a warm and supportive campus-feeling space complete with a cafeteria, lounge areas, WiFi,  and recreational facilities.

See you soon, President Henry Cotton

Dear Adjunct Faculty,

You are the life blood of this institution, and as such, deserve quality office space. Unfortunately, building priorities have shifted over the last few years, and our ability to keep pace with the growth of your sector had lagged. It is therefore with great pleasure that I announce the inauguration of the renovation of a new designated facility for adjuncts. Keep in mind that Willard pledges to maintain a deep commitment to high quality at a competitive price point. You are essential to that mission.

Best regards, President Henry Cotton

P.S. For those new to campus, please remember that Willard College has a Faculty Dress Code. Male faculty are forbidden to wear open-toes sandals or flip-flops.

How will Willard College position its brand in the next decade? How can we high visible Willard to the premium domestic market? During a recent trip to the East Coast, I was impressed by the variety of vehicles sporting college bumper stickers. Cheryl Tina and I began to take note of the correlation between year and make of car and the type and number of bumper stickers.  It was a daunting process. Why were we seeing Princeton  on beat up Subarus and Fitchburg States on Cadillacs? What explained the University of Vermont along side Exeter? I’ve direct the Office of Media Opportunities and Relations to build a new theme, “Willard College: Making a Different Difference.” Our goals is to build brand association with the kinds of quality institutions that can diversify and build our market share.

Thanks, Henry Cotton

Dear Great Willard Faculty and Staff,

English: LTG Willard W. Scott, taken in course of his official duties (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a few months, the Class of 2017 will begin to arrive to Willard College. With all the big changes around campus, it seemed a good time to orient you to the new Willard.

When you advise students, remember that our record-low projected enrollment figures resulted in a faculty retrenchment that perhaps over compensated for the original problem. You should anticipate having difficulty locating seats for Fall semester courses. I strongly urge you, therefore, to direct students to select from Willard’s menu of on-campus/on-line courses. 

Remember, these courses offer the “full college experience.” Students can complete course work anywhere on campus without the hassles that often accompany attending what we now call the “four wall classroom.” You might also remind students that the on-campus/on-line courses come at the same price point as traditional classes. Parents and students often make the mistake of assuming that on-line is more expensive!

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

P.S. Special thanks to our new Dean of Collegiate Learning, Dr. Leo Gagnon, for his hard work in moving our on-line opportunities forward so quickly.

Dear Willard College faculty,     

Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Classroom is an exciting new approach to assessing a new approach to the classroom. I realize that we are all busy, so if you don’t have time to read the hyperlink, here are the highlights.

“Students are solving problems and analyzing information. They are working in small groups, talking together, and moving around. The instructor interacts and guides but does not lecture. In fact, no one has lectured to these students in weeks. It looks a little messy.
Some might call it chaotic. But it isn’t out of control. It is simply flipped—and it’s supposed to be that way. Flipped classes are the talk of campuses right now because they can be very effective learning environments. But with all that chaos, how can you tell that it’s working?”

Can you guess what the answer is?

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

P.S. Remember that  “all the new terminology—flipping, layering—can seem confusing at first. However, the words don’t have to get in your way. You can get past the lingo and straight to how best to measure learning in Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Classroom, a new Magna Online Seminar.”

Princeton University pool, Princeton, New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We read with alarm news of a law suit against Princeton University. Local residents are attempting to disenfranchise our sister institution of its tax-exempt status. I do not need to say more about the chilling effect this could have on the good work being done at Willard College.

In solidarity with Princeton, President Henry Cotton

The same letters in the same order. But one is a verb and the other is a noun. Are they the same word? Maybe.

Today, I want us to think about both an action and a being. Willard is a place, with athletic facilities, dormitories, and nationally ranked dining halls and recreational facilities. Willard is also highly qualified and devoted administrators, students, support staff, and let me not fail to mention, faculty. But we are also a verb. Increasingly, “to Willard” means to take decisive action, without hang-wringing or worry.

Sincerely, Henry Cotton