{"id":19609,"date":"2023-08-18T09:40:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T14:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/?p=19609"},"modified":"2023-08-18T09:43:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T14:43:40","slug":"reflections-at-summers-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/reflections-at-summers-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections at Summer’s End"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Most
Dr. Verret addresses Faculty & Staff Institute<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Just a few days ago, it seemed like campus was empty. Now it's teeming with people, and on Monday we'll be back in full swing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As I participated in our annual Faculty & Staff Institute, I reflected on how the university seems to spring into being so quickly, so suddenly. How is it possible for all these faculty and students to swoop onto campus and reconstitute an operational university in such short order?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The answer, obviously, is that campus wasn't<\/em> empty ten days ago. Plenty of staff members and administrators (and, yes, even some faculty) have been laboring here diligently all summer and all year round. I'm proud to count myself in that number. I was reminded that our faculty and students need the support of our hard-working staff, in order that we can even have a university.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Yet, campus seemed<\/em> empty without faculty and students around. It was peaceful and quiet. I enjoyed it, but that's a temporary condition. Indeed, the illusion of peaceful emptiness was delicious precisely because of its ephemeral nature. I was reminded that staff members like myself need our faculty and students in order for our work here to have any meaning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These are simple observations, to be sure. I merely want to affirm this simple truth: we need each other. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Our cultural summer is over, though the heat will blaze on for quite a while. In the coming school year, it's my wish that we may find that great value that we supply to each other, that we may see it, and act upon it, in service to our shared mission.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Have a great year!<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just a few days ago, it seemed like campus was empty. Now it's teeming with people, and on Monday we'll be back in full swing. As I participated in our annual Faculty & Staff Institute, I reflected on how the university seems to spring into being so quickly, so suddenly. How is it possible for ...continue reading \"Reflections at Summer’s End\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[133,442,304],"class_list":{"0":"post-19609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-integrative","7":"tag-faculty","8":"tag-staff","9":"tag-students","10":"h-entry","11":"hentry","12":"h-as-article"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p82MQk-56h","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21266,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/march-opportunities-at-catfd\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":0},"title":"March Opportunities at CAT+FD","author":"Jason S. Todd","date":"March 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This year, the liturgical season of Lent overlaps with the sacred month of Ramadan. In the Christian and Muslim traditions, this is a time of contemplation. Coincidentally this year, they also overlap Xavier's Midterms, which as we know, is a time of deep introspection for many of our students.\u00a0 During\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Director's Corner"","block_context":{"text":"Director's Corner","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/directors-corner\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Full_Eclipse_of_the_Moon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Full_Eclipse_of_the_Moon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Full_Eclipse_of_the_Moon.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Full_Eclipse_of_the_Moon.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Full_Eclipse_of_the_Moon.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21639,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/september-opportunities-at-catfd\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":1},"title":"September Opportunities at CAT+FD","author":"Jason S. Todd","date":"September 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that the chaos of August is past, September is a great time to invest in your professional growth. The energy of beginnings \u2014 new students, new courses, new colleagues \u2014 offers everyone an opportunity for exploring innovative teaching strategies, connecting with colleagues, and strengthening the practices that make your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Director's Corner"","block_context":{"text":"Director's Corner","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/directors-corner\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21903,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/december-opportunities-from-catfd\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":2},"title":"December Opportunities from CAT+FD","author":"Jason S. Todd","date":"December 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"As December arrives and academic semesters draw to a close, faculty are navigating not just the usual end-of-semester demands like grading, advising, and final projects, but everything else they've been carrying alongside them these past few months. The challenges of 2025 have asked a lot of our academic communities, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Director's Corner"","block_context":{"text":"Director's Corner","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/directors-corner\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1792,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/xula-online-real-faculty-real-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":3},"title":"XULA Online: Real Faculty, Real Learning","author":"Karen Nichols","date":"August 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you know that over 350 students participated in summer session I online courses? Not one online course had to be canceled this summer due to low enrollment\u2014students enrolled with very minimal on-campus advertising. Summer online courses give both students and faculty the flexibility and mobility to pursue other projects\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CAT & Mouse: E-Learning"","block_context":{"text":"CAT & Mouse: E-Learning","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/online\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21824,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/november-opportunities-at-catfd\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":4},"title":"November Opportunities at CAT+FD","author":"Jason S. Todd","date":"November 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"As November arrives, I want to acknowledge both the richness and the intensity of this time in our academic lives. As faculty, we are juggling advising appointments, planning final projects, responding to crises both small and large, and somehow still finding ways to support our students through their own unique\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Director's Corner"","block_context":{"text":"Director's Corner","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/directors-corner\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19269,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/this-friday-tammah-watts\/","url_meta":{"origin":19609,"position":5},"title":"This Friday: Tammah Watts","author":"Bart Everson","date":"April 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As CAT+FD has promoted contemplative pedagogy and work\/life balance for years, we are very pleased to join our student groups in welcoming author and facilitator\u00a0Tammah Watts, LMFT, to Xavier University of Louisiana this Friday. Come join Tammah and connect with nature right here on campus. 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