Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, and a New Career Path
“It’s these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane”
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, J. Buffet
The words above, penned by the great American philosophe Jimmy Buffet, have been stuck in my head for the past several weeks. As I grow older, I have come to view these simple lyrics as one of life’s absolute truths. Nothing in life ever remains the same! Regardless of our attempts to preserve the status quo, change happens. How we handle that change is the true measure of our progress in life. The events of this past semester provide ample proof to support Mr. Buffet’s wisdom.
At the beginning of the Fall semester I worked in a position I absolutely loved. On a daily basis I participated in projects that not only made a difference at the individual and institutional levels, but contributed to the field of faculty development. As a faculty development specialist, I had the pleasure of working with faculty who are passionate about their teaching and their students’ success. The job allowed me to engage in meaningful and influential work, and it afforded me opportunities for both personal and professional growth. Along the way I formed numerous personal and professional friendships that I hope to maintain for the rest of my life. This type of job is rare in life and I’m sure I will look back on it one day as one of the highlights of my professional journey.
Unfortunately, as Buffet reminds us, nothing remains the same. In early October, we learned that great changes loomed for our center. We lost one staff member and it seemed possible that there might be additional staff reductions and a potential shift in the center’s core mission. My future at Texas Wesleyan was uncertain and a cloud of uncertainty overtook our center. How did I cope during this dark time? I laughed. Of the available choices, laughter is the preferred one. After all, as Mr. Buffet points out, you will go insane if you do not laugh!
Faced with an uncertain future, I decided it was time to make my own change in latitude. I began searching for a new career path, one that would allow for continued personal and professional growth. Fortunately, I found just that opportunity. In January, I will start work as Director of the soon-to-be-created Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Parker University in Dallas. This is an exciting opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to the challenge of creating a new teaching center and directing the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan.
Of course, it is with great sadness that I leave Texas Wesleyan. Its faculty are unlike any I have worked with before. They are passionate, caring, and thoughtful individuals who truly want to make a difference in their students’ lives. I will miss their kindness and their enthusiasm, and I truly hope the University finds ways to continue supporting its most important asset.
As I pack up my desk and prepare for a new journey, I leave you with a few more bits of wisdom (as well as a video) from Jimmy Buffet…
“Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I can’t look back for too long
There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can’t go wrong…”
The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.
Image by Inky Bob (flickr)
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