January 9, 2009

First of all, welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed some restful time off and enjoyed some down time with family and other loved ones. I don’t know about you, but the thing I enjoy most about the holidays is the fact that everything and everyone slows down for a bit. (And I have to admit, it was nice not having to worry about what was going on with the weather in the mornings!) Even here at work, I was able to catch up on some projects that needed a “big chunk” of time to work through while it was nice and quiet.

I hope Santa was good to all of you. My favorite gift was a bag full of suet cakes from my niece—the birds have been having a feeding frenzy and they’re beautiful to watch! And I think the best gift of all is the brand new year that we get to unwrap with all of its possibilities and potential. This year will present some challenges, no doubt; but I’m confident have the resilience to handle whatever 2009 might bring us.

I saw an awful lot of students on Monday greeting one another and appearing very glad to be back. I think they really missed one another (and you!) and they missed the routine. Really, I did too. One can only eat, read, and putter around so much before starting to feel like a slug!

Well, this has been a week of mostly meetings, most of which haven’t been terribly exciting. On Thursday I did meet with the Ohio School Facilities Commission to discuss some possibilities for expanding their funding program beyond facilities and into operations. They were intrigued and it was a great brainstorming session. Certainly one of the challenges we’ll face in 2009 (and 2010 and 2011, most likely) will be our funding cuts. I heard someone on a public radio program say, “In times of a slow economy, fast innovation and creative solutions will define the survivors.” Good advice for tough times. And we’ve already shown we can innovate and be creative—so we’ll need to hone those skills and focus on what we do best.

This weather is driving me crazy! I’d rather have six inches of snow than this deceptive ice that sneaks up on you. (Although I should be careful what I ask for—sounds like I might get it!) On my way to a meeting in Urbana on Thursday afternoon, I came upon a minor accident on Ludlow Road in Logan County. A tow truck was already there, but I stopped to see if everyone was OK and to ask if they needed a phone. The two young men involved had Urbana High School sweatshirts on; and since they were heading south from Bellefontaine, I figured they might be Hi-Point students. I asked them if they were, and they said yes. (Thankfully everyone was fine.) I introduced myself, told them I was so glad they were OK, and pleaded with them to please be careful. They looked a little sheepish—the accident scene indicated it might have been a case of driving a little too fast and following a little too closely. I just hope and pray we can get through this Ohio winter without any serious injuries.

Sounds like this might be a good weekend to “cocoon.” If you have to go out, please be careful--and enjoy your weekend!