Week 1 - Make a Difference

Week 1 was up and down.
It started on Monday when our lowest ranked tech did not show up after break for a project we had planned. I discovered that he was to be released the next day anyway so that meant we had to scramble for a worker to help with the project. We already had one student and were able to secure 2 more so the project went on. I wound up working on it for a couple of days myself which I really did not have time to do.

The maintenance department was moving people and computers all this time and we were trying to keep up with that as well. The new Asst. VP for IT started on Monday and filling him in on various aspects of what we do and several meetings consumed more of my time. We are bringing a remodeled building back on line and it is far from ready so we needed to terminate cables and connect phones and computers for that.

To top it all off, a wonderful young lady who has worked for me for the last 5 years plus, had chosen to leave us and pursue her career at another school. I needed to host a reception to honor and thank her for all her hard work. We pulled that off very well with lots of homemade cookies and punch. Today was her last day and it was sad to see her leave but I know it was the right choice for her, so from that aspect it is fine.

It has been a very busy week and next week will be no different. Students arrive Sunday, classes start Tuesday, and we will be very busy taking care of connectivity issues in the dorms and adding users to the network. I hope to grab a day off toward the end of the week but may not be able to, we will see.

I have a personal motto that I have posted in my office and other places. It is "Make a Difference". We are here not just to do a job or earn a salary so we can afford to live, but to invest ourselves in others to help them to grow. At a university, especially one like this one, we have so many opportunities to do just that. One thing we did this week was take most of the leftover cookies and punch from the reception and send it to a group of dorm resident assistants who were here early for training. They enjoyed it and we had the opportunity to "Make a Difference" in their lives. Only time will tell what that difference may be.

Opportunity is all around us but only those who are looking for it will recognize it as a chance to make a difference in someones life. Even in the face of difficulty or dicouragement we can still find time or resources to impact someones life. I encourage you to find a way to "Make a Difference" in someone's life tomorrow.