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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


Two weeks ago, as I was driving the Brighton Campus's outer loop after an early evening MCC event, I passed the following: a cricket game, a Frisbee match, and three separate groups of walkers.

Last Friday, I joined a group of MCC women (and a couple men) to “Pink the PAC” to raise both our fitness levels and our awareness of breast cancer.

Yesterday, I was talking with one of our faculty who was just glowing, and I observed that she looked like she felt fantastic. “Yoga,” she replied. “In fact, I’m on my way to HR to pick up my Eat Well, Live Well award.”

Why share these moments? As the term winds down, stress winds up for students and faculty. Students pull pizza and Red Bull-fueled all-nighters readying final papers and studying for exams. Faculty sustained by coffee and diet soda put in marathon grading sessions. It’s not the time of year that lends itself to eating well and living well.

But it should, and for that reason, I thank the entire team who led MCC’s wellness activities this year.

Studies suggest that wellness activities (e.g., healthy diet, stress management and exercise) yield a host of benefits well beyond the obvious—everything from improved brain function to better skin to fewer migraines to boosted immunity to increased happiness. Thinking back to my days of writing (and grading) papers, all of that sounds appealing.

So, not to play “college-mom” or anything, but here goes: over the next couple weeks, take a wellness break. You could eat more veggies, walk a couple laps around the loop or the PAC, or practice yoga or meditation. And encourage your students to do the same. Together, you are the heart of MCC, and we need a strong-- and healthy--heart!

What’s your end of term wellness plan? Share it on the blog.

Anne Kress
Office of the President
05/15/2013