MCC Daily Tribune

President's Wednesday Message

Next week, MCC holds our annual All College Day: the welcome to a new academic year. This year's agenda is focused on sharing information about MCC initiatives, projects, programs, and goals that are important to all of us.

One of the ongoing challenges all large organizations face is communication. Certainly, everyone at our College tries to share information. On an average week at MCC, every lunch could be filled with a brown bag discussion; every afternoon could be booked with a department, governance, committee, or council meeting; every evening could be spent at an MCC-related event. Each day, the MCC Daily Tribune overflows with commendations and notifications, and departments, offices, and organizations regularly send emails and newsletters to their constituents within the College and direct them to Blackboard sites for even more messages and shared materials. A glance at the bulletin boards that fill our hallways reveals a host of meetings, events, discussions, and activities that fight for our attention each week. And, I have not even mentioned Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds.

So, it's not surprising at all that all of us are sometimes very surprised by activities, initiatives, and projects at MCC--even when they've been publicized and discussed and noticed several times in several different ways. Let's be honest, we've moved well past information overload and are now submerged beneath an information tidal wave.

This All College Day, I am focusing on what we all need know going into the new academic year. You'll hear about the top three initiatives, projects, and plans that will drive the work of MCC's four divisions: Academic Services, Administrative Services, Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services, and Student Services. And, you'll learn about the top three priorities for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Downtown Campus; Governmental and Community Relations; Human Resources and Organizational Development; the MCC Foundation; and Strategic Initiatives. I have also invited the leaders of our Shared Governance groups to provide their own updates and plans for the year ahead.

To borrow a phrase, the goal this All College Day is to give you "news you can use" in a way that doesn't overwhelm and actually informs. I'll be asking for your feedback on the new format, and if you think it is valuable, I'll use it to restructure the fall and spring Message to the College Community forums.

I am also very aware that tragic events across the country in the past weeks have sadly returned our thoughts to safety and security on campus. In response, part of All College Day will be turned over to Public Safety Director Tony Perez, who will provide an overview of MCC's plans, practices, and protocols regarding safety on our campuses and centers. Public Safety has also been reaching out to departments and offices with an offer to attend meetings to offer briefings and respond to questions. The security of our community is my top concern, and every member of our community should know how to respond in a crisis should the need arise and should also know how to report concerns and observations that could prevent a crisis from occurring.

So, on Thursday, August 22, I look forward to seeing you in Tribune black and gold at 8:30 am at our annual breakfast reception and joining you at 9:30 am in welcoming another new year for our students and MCC. (And, as always, save room for a delicious lunch with colleagues immediately after and feel free to leave your comments on the blog.)

Anne Kress
Office of the President
08/14/2019