December 2014, Issue 12
Message from VPSA
Sam Gonzales
I had a great time at our Holiday luncheons. In fact, I look forward to it every year. I get the chance to hear from you how your semester went – the successes and the challenges. Walking around the ballroom that day made me remember that we are never really done telling our story.
Each table I visited had implemented a new technology or changed a process or added an event – found better ways to provide programs and services for our students. Your enthusiasm for what you had accomplished this semester was infectious and you presented the challenges with some humor indicating that we will work through it in time. Taking a break to attend the luncheons reminds us that the work is non-stop and the results for our students are worth it. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
As I talked with you I thought to myself, we communicate, collaborate, connect and create excellence for our colleagues, for our students and for the future of UTSA. It’s not just a series of tasks, but acting on a collective purpose. Sometimes “how” we work is as important as the work itself. I recently made a presentation about our successes over the last five years and the work that we have done training staff came up. We have invested in ourselves and our students are benefitting. We have invested in new ideas and our processes are stronger. And, as evidenced by the holiday luncheons, we did it with a smile and a laugh. Now, that’s a story worth telling.
Lynn Hickey shared this quote with me. It comes from Clint Rutledge who in turn learned it from his dad, D.W. Rutledge, who was a longtime Judson High School football coach and is the current executive director of the Texas High School Football Coaches Association.
Let it be your food for thought over the winter break.
“Groups that work and play together as individuals lose -- groups that work and play together as teams win some -- groups that work and play together as family are Champions.”
D. W. Rutledge
Best wishes,
Sam
We Are UTSA! We Are Student Affairs!